Chaos
by jadereesee
Summary: The blood that ran in her veins was as unique as Keegan herself. She was content with her life of hunting until a visit from an old friend left her stunned and the phone call that followed had her rushing to America without even knowing why. Thrown into the chaos that surrounds the Olympic coven, that chaos was only outweighed by her own being found in the dark eyes of a stranger.
1. Chapter 1

Dark sky.

Dark air.

Dark intentions.

Darkness hung over the land like a sheer veil over a temptress' face.

A cloaked figure paused their confident gait and instead stood still, their back stiff, but their eyes never ceased in their scanning of the area around them.

Tension rolled off the figure, anger emitting from their form as if they were aflame.

Then, the figure was moving.

In a burst of motion, they threw their hood back to reveal the shadowed face of a young woman. Her body twisted in the air as she swiftly drew a short sword that rested at her waist, the metallic ring of the blade chiming through the silence.

Her blade was met with the pale neck of a man who stood quietly just behind where she had stopped moments before.

He didn't waver at the sight of her weapon, instead, his golden eyes regarded the sharpened blade with something akin to yearning.

"Miss me that much, did you?" The man asked, his voice tight, stretched thin with pain and lack of use.

The woman didn't move at his words but her hazel eyes stayed locked with his own. Her muscles were unyielding as she kept the blade extended before she suddenly dropped it, sheathing the weapon in one fluid motion.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. "Last I heard you were all in Washington- in _America_."

The grimace from the other didn't go unnoticed by the observant woman and she sighed heavily after a moment of silence passed between them.

"Come on then. You may not feel the cold, but I certainly do." The woman stated, turning on her heels to walk back up the darkened alley she had been striding down when she caught wind of his presence.

She heard the brush of her new companions feet over the pavement as he followed her, a feat within itself, but if she hadn't been able to hear such things then she would have been dead a long time ago.

"I didn't mean to frighten you, Keegan," Edward said, his voice still as supple as honey.

The unnatural smoothness of the tone usually served to send shivers down Keegan's spine, but not from him.

Not from anyone in that particular vampire's family.

The woman sent a withering look over her shoulder at the pale man's words, nearly snorting in response to them.

He had not frightened her.

"I am not so easily frightened, Edward. Not like I once was." She told him.

His words had reminded her of a day not so long ago, especially not in comparison to Edward's never-ending life.

* * *

Keegan's family had always been rather unique.

They were an oddity in her town and from the day that she was old enough to walk, she began to understand why.

She never attended school with the rest of the people in her town. She never went to the park or the movies.

From the moment Keegan took her first toddling steps, she was trained to run.

To fight.

There were few in the world that held the same bloodline as the armed woman did, and there were even fewer that took up the dangerous career she had all but fallen into.

Vampire hunters were a rare breed.

They were mortals in every sense that a vampire could detect.

They had a beating heart, flowing blood, and the scent of a particularly delectable mortal.

The better to draw the beasts in with.

What differed between them and the mortal human race was substantial as well.

Keegan had been thrown from rooftops without breaking a bone. She was only 21 years old and knew that she would look the same for the next three or four decades thanks to her extended lifespan. She had sharper senses and faster reflexes than a vampire, but still, she could be wounded.

Still, she could die.

She was stronger than mortals, a match for vampires, but not their equals in terms of sustainability.

She had to sleep, had to eat, and had to breathe.

She was cold more often than not and she craved pickles nearly every second of the day.

It was thanks to this unique quality of her family that she had met Edward and the rest of the Cullens.

Only 16 years old, Keegan thought that she could take on the world.

She was aware of her duties at that point and knew that she would be expected to break from her family the day she turned 18 and travel and hunt on her own.

The only time she would see her mother, father, or sister again would be if she needed help with a hunt.

It wasn't likely that she would ever admit to such a thing.

Given her rather stubborn nature, Keegan had found a newspaper article that her father had left out on the table for her mother. It detailed the disappearance of three boys from the town next to the current one they were staying in.

She had seen this as her chance to prove herself to her parents.

She needed them to know that she was strong and just as capable as her older sister.

That night, Keegan armed herself to the teeth and hopped on the next bus out.

She found herself in a popular nightclub courtesy of her fake ID, drawn in by the tingling in her fingertips.

Finding a vampire in a sea of mortals was fairly easy for one of her bloodline.

Without pause, Keegan had approached the pale and eerily beautiful man.

He had two humans draped across him as he reclined on a couch in one of the private areas, his face bored but his eyes dark as he convinced them to come home with him.

Keegan had nearly sliced his throat then and there, but instead of acting rash, she used the strongest weapon in her arsenal.

Just as she could sense vampires, the immortal beings were unexplainably drawn to her kind.

It only took moments to have the blood-sucker gliding out of the club after her. She put on a show of stumbling into the alleyway behind the building, leaning against the wall and fake giggling to herself.

He was drawn in like a fish on a line.

His cold hands rested on her hips, roughly turning her around and she didn't resist the action despite her body's screams for her to do so.

She couldn't show her hand too early.

With a smile on her painted lips, Keegan ran a hand down the monster's chest just as he began to lean into her, words of empty comfort and affection falling from his lips as he prepared to rip out her throat.

One of her hands dipped to the hem of her dress, casually reaching for the blade that she was going to use to send his granite head falling to the ground separate to his body.

Her fingers closed around the handle just as the vampire was suddenly wrenched from her hold, or perhaps her from his.

She watched with wide eyes as the beast was pressed against the brick wall opposite of her by a dark-haired man.

The tingling in her fingertips increased and her breath stuttered in her throat.

Another blood-sucker, a bloodsucker who was... helping her?

"Are you okay?" A small voice chimed from her side and much to her horror, she turned to see a small female vamp looking up at her with golden eyes.

"We've frightened her. She knows what he was- what we are. She planned to kill him." Another voice said as a bronze-haired male strode down the far end of the alley.

He _was?_

Sure enough, Keegan's eyes flickered over to the vampire that she had planned to be the prey of her first hunt, ruined by the other monsters surrounding her, to find that his head had been ripped from his shoulders.

"Thinking of us as monsters is a weird way to thank us." The bronze-haired vampire told her, his amber eyes on hers and she felt panic course through her.

How did he-

"It's a gift." He stated simply and she swallowed hard.

"My name is Alice." The female vampire chirped next to her, drawing Keegan's eyes though her attention was still trained on the mountain of a vampire who had killed her prey and the bronze-haired mind reader.

If she let her guard down, she could be killed.

"I am Edward and that is Emmett. We are not going to kill you." The mind-reader, _Edward_ , said.

"And I'm supposed to just believe that?" Keegan hissed in return, finally finding her voice.

"We've got a lot to explain, but I can already tell that you and I are going to be great friends!"

* * *

"Alice was very afraid that we would never hear from you again after that day," Edward said, his voice less pained now that it seemed he had his mind off of whatever was bothering him.

As soon as the thought passed through Keegan's head, however, his shoulders dropped as if the world had come crashing back down upon them.

Unlocking the door that led to the hotel room she had currently been living out of, the vampire hunter gestured for the immortal to followed her inside before locking it all back.

Even with Edward there, she was unwilling to take any risks.

"Alice would have never let me not hear from her again." Keegan replied.

It was true, since the day that they had crossed paths, Keegan and the Cullens had been in regular contact, not that anyone else knew.

Not that there was anyone to know.

Pushing those thoughts away, Keegan focused on her friend as she plopped herself down on the foot of her bed.

"What are you doing here, Edward?" She finally asked after a moment of them simply sizing one another up.

"I came to ask you a favor."


	2. Chapter 2

There was little that any of the Cullens could ask that Keegan wouldn't do.

After their first interaction she had been confused by them, but through years of short visits and phone calls, she had found close friends and allies within the sizable coven.

However, what Edward was asking of her now had the woman's hands shaking with barely contained rage, fear, and sadness.

"Tell me you were joking." She hissed, hazel eyes narrowing at her friend.

Edward stood stone still, watching as the woman worked herself up into a fit.

Realizing that no such admittance would pass his lips, Keegan nearly let out a scream of frustration.

"How dare you?!" She roared.

She was on her feet then, swiping a hand through the air as she turned on him. "How _dare_ you ask something like that of me!"

"I wouldn't ask this of you if there was any other option," Edward said, the pain in his voice back tenfold.

"There are plenty of other options, Edward! The first of which is not asking someone who cares about you to take your life!" Keegan spat.

"Is that not what you do?" Edward snapped in return, his sudden ire catching the woman off guard. "You kill my kind, Keegan! You kill vampires! So why won't you kill me?"

She stared at him, chest heaving from her emotional outpouring before she was slowly shaking her head.

"What happened to you, Edward?" She asked, her voice thick.

"Why won't you just kill me?" He asked in return, his voice broken in a way that had a shiver running down her spine.

"Because you're not like _them_. You're not a bloodthirsty murderer." She said.

"I have killed before." He replied immediately but she shook her head once more.

"You are not a bad person. You don't deserve death." She told him.

"Keegan, I can't- I _can't_ go on like this," Edward whispered, his form trembling in a way that had Keegan thinking he would be crying if he could still do so.

"She's gone." The heartbreak in his voice was like a knife to Keegan's chest.

The hardened woman found herself reaching a hand out to him, but before she could move, her hotel door was wrenched open.

"Edward!" She yelled, her voice echoing through the doorway after him as the immortal ran from the hotel.

Without giving much thought to the broken door or her belongings left in the room, Keegan sprinted after him.

She was slower than vampires, an unfortunate reality that led to her having to be craftier in her hunting than they were when hunting mortals.

Though slower, she still wasn't slow and she caught a glimpse of her friend as he darted out into the still darkened street.

"Edward!" She shouted, pushing herself faster only to slam into a body a moment later.

The person was like a brick wall and Keegan found herself falling, skidding backward on her butt across the damp pavement as she was momentarily stunned.

She had been so focused on Edward that she hadn't spotted the man running towards her.

"What the hell are you doing, Key? Are you trying to attract every lowlife in the city?" A deep voice asked before a warm hand closed around hers and she found herself being yanked to her feet.

"Just you." She replied, barely sparing him a glance as she frantically searched around them for even the slightest hint that Edward was still near.

The lack of sensation in her fingertips let her know that the man was long gone.

"Was that a Cullen?"

Now Keegan paid the man attention, turning hazel eyes to the familiar face of her usual hunting companion.

Edward had caught her in one of the rare moments that she was on her own.

She wondered if that was orchestrated- knowing Edward, it most likely was.

"It was Edward," Keegan confirmed, knowing that despite the fact that they had never met, her friend would be well aware of who it was that she was referring to.

"What was he doing here?" The young man asked, tugging Keegan a step closer as he tried to decode the hidden despair that was flickering through her expression.

"He- He was asking me to kill him."

Silence fell between the two before the man was pulling Keegan back into their hotel and towards the room that they had been sharing.

"What are you doing, Rowan?" Keegan asked, letting herself be tugged along.

There was no one that she trusted more in her life than Rowan.

You had to trust someone absolutely in order to fight properly with them as your partner.

"If he was desperate then maybe we should be too." He barked, not even pausing at the sight of their destroyed door before he was yanking her through the threshold. "Did he say who was after him?"

"No one was after him," Keegan argued, watching the man rush to pack their things now that he had let go of her arm.

"There must have been someone after him, Keegan. Vamps don't just up and decide one day that they want to die." Rowan argued but Keegan shook her head.

"It's not like that, Ro. He mentioned someone being dead. A _she_." She explained, her words finally making her friend pause.

"A _she_?" He echoed and Keegan nodded a confirmation.

"You think it was that mortal girl? The one they had told you about?" He asked, his voice tense.

Keegan had been shocked when Rosalie had told her about Edward's infatuation with a mortal girl and even more so when Jasper filled her in about the nomads that had gone after her.

It seemed that the Olympic coven had run into something that threw a wrench into their lives. Keegan was just surprised that it was a mortal, and a female who actually caught Edward's interest at that, that did so.

Upon telling Rowan, the man had quite explicitly voiced his disgust and concern over the situation.

Rowan was much like Keegan herself.

He came from a family of vampire hunters, born and raised just as she had been.

He was trained in the art of the trade, taught about the cruelties that vampires inflicted on the mortal race, and was informed of his duty to protect them.

While Keegan understood that the Cullens, and apparently one other coven, were different from other vampires, Rowan didn't wholeheartedly agree.

After joining her to hunt only a few years prior, he learned to tolerate the friendship between his partner and the Olympic coven, but that didn't mean he would be apart of it.

If the Cullens visited, he wasn't there.

He trusted them enough not to kill her, that was something that Keegan held on to when his disdain got too much. If he didn't trust them to at least not do that then he wouldn't leave her alone with them.

Frankly, the man was too protective for his own good.

After everything that had happened to her family...

Rowan was a good man.

"Do you think he killed her?" Rowan asked, shocking and angering Keegan.

"Rowan!" She snapped but the man simply looked at her.

It was perfectly plausible in his mind that the vampire could have lost control and killed the mortal girl he claimed to love.

Maybe he did care for her though since it seemed like the guilt was driving him to the brink.

"I need to call someone," Keegan said after gathering herself and pushing away her irritation towards her partner.

That irritation faded much quicker when the ebony-skinned man immediately held a phone out to her.


	3. Chapter 3

It took four tries before someone answered and Keegan had never felt so relieved to hear Rosalie's voice.

"Rose, it's Keegan. Edward was just-"

"Edward? You've seen Edward? Is he still there? Where are you? When did you see him?" The questions came in rapid-fire through the speaker and Keegan frowned over at Rowan who was watching her with raised brows.

"Dammit, Rose! What the hell happened?" Keegan snapped in return.

"We don't have time for that, Keegan! Just tell us where he is!" Rosalie hissed through the phone, grounding Keegan's temper as quickly as it spiked.

"I'm in Ireland. He left maybe an hour ago. Rose, he... He asked me to-" Keegan struggled to get the words out, to tell the man's sister what he had asked her to do but as a whimper sounded through the speaker, she knew that Rosalie had connected the dots.

"I need to call Carlisle and Alice. I-I made a big mistake, Keegan. I didn't mean to." Rose choked out and Keegan felt her chest clench.

Rosalie and Keegan had become friends even faster than she had with Alice, mostly thanks to their similar attitude issues and Emmett's never-ending teasing of the vampire hunter.

It hurt her to hear the strong blonde woman like this, even if she would never admit as much.

"Rose, it's going to be okay. I'm sure Alice is already on whatever it is that happened. You need to call Carlisle." Keegan reminded the woman and she could practically hear her nodding her head on the other side of the line.

"I hate to ask this, Keegan, but... can you come and meet us? We're going back to Washington. If Edward- I just think having you there would do a lot."

It was true that there was little that the Cullens could ask that Keegan wouldn't do, so as she met Rowan's eyes, she saw the knowing already lingering behind them.

"I'll be there. Text me the address and I'll catch the next flight tonight." Keegan told her. "But once I'm there you better tell me _everything_."

The phone call ended fairly quickly after that and she found herself turning to her partner, eyes already apologizing for something that she hadn't done yet.

Without a word, Rowan held out a familiar dark purple duffel bag towards her and she couldn't help but smile.

"Help me my the hunting stuff from airport security?" She asked and her smile brightened as he nodded.

"Only if you'll help me hide mine." He countered.

Keegan looked at him with confusion for a moment.

"What?"

"Did you really think I was going to let you go to America, to a coven of bloodsuckers, without me?" Rowan asked her, voice incredulous. "This isn't me taking a stroll while you get coffee with one of the Cullens who will pretend to drink it, Key. This is you going to another country to stay in a house full of all of them."

Keegan had to admit that he had a point and if she was honest, she felt better knowing that Rowan would be around rather than off hunting by himself.

She trusted the Cullens whole-heartedly and knew she would be safe while with them, but that didn't mean that Rowan would have been safe without her.

"Let's get going then."

* * *

By the time their flight landed in Seattle, Keegan was completely over international flights.

They always made her miserable and the time change wreaked absolute havoc on her body.

Yawning, Keegan fought the urge to simply lay down on the floor and nap while Rowan steered them through the crowded airport.

She simply clung to her friend's leather jacket, holding fast to the back of it as he easily cleared a path for them.

The pair had just stepped outside of the airport, the cold air pulling a hiss from Keegan when her phone began to ring from her coat pocket.

Digging out the device, the woman's eyes glanced over the name on screen before putting it to her ear.

"We've just landed," Keegan said into the speaker.

"I see that, though I wasn't aware there would be a we. I thought that your partner didn't like us." A deep voice rumbled.

"I don't," Rowan said briskly, loud enough to be heard by vampire ears through the line just like his supernatural hearing helped him know what Emmett was saying.

Laughter followed the statement, making Rowan frown but Keegan just rolled her eyes.

"What did you mean you could see?" She suddenly asked, catching on to his phrasing just to be startled by a loud car horn beeping a moment later.

Looking for the source, Keegan audibly sighed at the sight of the giant silver Jeep Wrangler.

There was no mistaking that it was Emmett's vehicle. She could spot his tastes from a mile away.

Threading her arm through Rowan's, the woman pulled her companion along to the vehicle and pointedly ignored the obvious displeasure on his face at the sight of Emmett behind the wheel and Rosalie in the passenger seat.

Without hesitation, Keegan climbed into the backseat and scooted to the far side so that Rowan could join her.

"'Sup, Buffy?" Emmett called out over his shoulder as he pulled away from the airport.

"Hey, fangs." She greeted in return without missing a beat.

Rosalie turned in her seat to offer Keegan a small smile, the guilt behind her eyes unmistakable even when she shot a glare towards Rowan who was glaring right back.

"Esme has made arrangements for you in the main house. We weren't aware that your... companion would be tagging along." She said, her words directed at Keegan though they applied to both people in the back seat.

"Would it be too much trouble to-" Keegan began but Rowan cut her off.

"Where she goes, I go." He stated simply and the female vampire hunter rolled her eyes.

It seemed that the man's former trust of the Cullens went out the window after the incident with Edward.

"Is he home?" Keegan asked, her sudden gentle tone leaving no room for confusion as to who she was referring.

She had come to Washington because of what had happened with Edward.

She needed to see him and she needed a better explanation of all that was happening with the Olympic coven.

"Let's get back to the house, then we can explain," Emmett suggested, his deep voice filling the inside of the Jeep when it seemed he had caught on to his mate's discomfort.

Keegan ached to tell him no, to tell him that she deserved an explanation immediately, but the pain in Rosalie's eyes had her holding her tongue.

"Yeah, okay. The house." She agreed, exchanging a glance with her partner before turning her eyes on the scenery rushing by the window.

* * *

The Cullens' home was everything that Keegan expected, but at the same time, not at all what she expected.

"Doesn't the glass get tricky when it comes to... wandering eyes?" Rowan asked what Keegan had been thinking, though her thoughts had perhaps been in a less accusatory manner.

"We're deep enough in the woods that no one comes this way and even if they did, Alice or Edward would know," Rose replied as she led the way up the wooden steps and into the extravagant house.

Keegan's smile grew at the sight of the immortals that waited for her within the pristine walls.

"Carlisle, Esme." She breathed out a greeting.

The two parental vampires smiled as they entered the space, neither of them balking under the suspicious glare that Rowan had fixed on them.

"Keegan, sweetie, we've missed you," Esme said, moving forward to wrap her arms around the woman.

Keegan suppressed a shiver at the chill of the immortal's skin as to not hurt her feelings, but she noticed Rowan had obviously tensed at her side upon the vampire's approach.

"Welcome to Washington, Keegan. We are excited to have you here, both you and your partner, though we do wish it was under... less intense circumstances." Carlisle greeted, hugging Keegan as well and offering a hand out towards Rowan who regarded the appendage with disdain until Keegan elbowed him harshly in the ribs.

The man grumbled but reached out to take Carlisle's hand, giving it a firm shake with his lip curling up a bit in disgust or irritation.

"Sorry about him. No one taught the boy manners growing up so I've been doing the best with what I've got." Keegan told the group, ignoring the huff that Rowan let out in response.

"Jasper should be in shortly. He went for a morning hunt." Esme explained kindly. "Are either of you hungry? Thirsty?"

"I would love a glass of water," Keegan replied with a smile, glancing at Rowan before shaking her head slightly. "So would he, neither of us have had the chance to get a drink since before we boarded our flight."

With that request in, Esme flitted off to the kitchen and her abrupt movement had Rowan flinching back before he seemed to collect himself.

"Calm down, Ro. They eat bunny rabbits, not people and definitely not us." Keegan told her partner, not bother to whisper to him as she knew everyone in the house would hear her anyway.

"Not me, Blade. I eat _bears_." Emmett chimed in from where he was stood by the staircase, a dangerously playful grin in place on his lips.

Keegan responded to the claim with a roll of her eyes.

"Or they eat _bears_." She corrected herself, overexaggerating the correction in a way that taunted Emmett for his addition.

"Lions and tigers," Rowan said with a snort.

"Emmett, take their bags upstairs to the rooms they will be staying in please," Carlisle asked the large vampire, his tone amused as he watched him bicker with the vampire hunter.

It was the usual behavior for the pair, but under the tense circumstances, it seemed that their bit of relaxed humor was welcomed.

As Emmett disappeared in a flash of motion with their luggage, Keegan turned her attention back to Carlisle.

"I hate to press this, but we really need to be filled in about what is going on." She told the Cullen patriarch who nodded solemnly, the pain behind his eyes was apparent to the young vampire hunter who had come to know most of the Cullens rather well.

He hurt for his child. He hurt for his entire family.

Keegan knew by just looking at that pain that she would do whatever she could to help relieve it.

Gesturing towards the couch, Carlisle prompted the two hunters to take a seat and once they had he threaded his fingers together.

"It all starts with Bella Swan." He began.


	4. Chapter 4

The situation that the Olympic Coven had found themselves in served to floor Keegan and her partner alike.

She had been aware of the situation with the human and then the trouble that it had led to with some nomads. She had been told that much during her regular phone chats with members of the Cullen family.

What she hadn't been aware of was just how close Edward and the human girl, Bella, had become. Granted, she had guessed as much due to Edward actually taking an interest and revealing his secret to her, but the extent of infatuation was news.

She was a blood singer, something that was rare in humans as opposed to the hunters, and Edward believed her to be his true mate.

Mates were a concept that fascinated the hunter as it was something that her race and the humans tended to lack. Hunters had a true partner, bound by blood oath and an ancient magic that Keegan couldn't even begin to comprehend, but it wasn't the same as soul mates.

Sometimes those partners were romantically bound, sometimes they weren't. Keegan and Rowan had been preparing for their oath ceremony over the last year.

To undertake the oath meant that the hunters had to prove their knowledge to one another, their devotion to one another, their trust of one another, and their ability to work as one.

Keegan was confident that they would be able to undertake the ceremony within the next year or so.

The idea that Edward had found his true mate in a mortal that seemed to attract more trouble than any other Keegan had come across was just typical really, but even the slight amusement that came from that was overshadowed by the painful anxiety in her gut.

Her slender tawny fingers grasped tightly in Rowan's was one of the only things that kept her grounded.

Her blatant and harsh refusal of Edward had sent him running, that she had known, but what she didn't know was where he had been rushing off to.

Now she did.

"What does this mean for him?" Rowan asked, knowing that his partner would have already been shooting off questions if she was feeling up to the task of doing so.

Keegan's throat was tight and she couldn't help but feel a harsh sense of responsibility for Edward's actions. She had been so severe with him instead of confronting his feelings. She had flown into the defensive and that had gotten him nowhere but in possible danger.

The only silver lining was that Alice and Bella were en route to stop him from doing something so stupid. Keegan hoped that this meant that Edward would pull his head out of his ass and be with his mate rather than run off in some misguided heroic act of self-sacrifice and put them both through hell.

Keegan also knew that Rowan felt differently on the matter.

He didn't think highly of her own interactions with the Cullens, let alone a vampire's relationship with a member of the species that they were trained to protect.

"If all goes well then they should find him before he acts and there is no harm. If everything goes averagely then the Volturi will meet them both and hopefully, they will come home to us. If all goes wrong..." Carlisle trailed off as Esme whimpered, the matronly vampire obviously distressed over the thought of her adopted children in such danger.

Keegan shot a glance over to Jasper who had returned from his hunt moment's earlier. His golden irises bounced from Keegan to Esme and after a few seconds, Esme smiled gently. The blonde male's emotional manipulation came in handy at times like this.

"What can we do?" Keegan asked, finally finding her voice but the question was not one so easily answered. Carlisle was quiet for longer than she would have liked before he offered up a simple reply.

"We wait."

* * *

It felt like eons before Carlisle's cell phone chimed in his pocket.

The Cullen patriarch moved so quickly to answer the call that Keegan had nearly missed it, but the voice echoing through the speaker into his ear was unmistakable.

Edward.

Keegan felt herself nearly deflate with relief on the inside, but outwardly she stood fast. She had been an emotional wreck over the course of the day and she knew that now that her friend had proven himself to be alive and well, she had to gather herself.

Demonstrating such emotional weakness wasn't acceptable for hunters and she counted herself lucky that she was in the presence of Rowan and not her family. They would have never let her have peace over her friendship with the Cullens, let alone her emotional outburst over a vampire.

Snapping his phone shut, Carlisle turned to his family and the two hunters that decorated the living room. He knew that they all heard his conversation with Edward so there was no point in relaying what was said.

"The vamp is still kicking which I guess means it's time we take our leave." Rowan's voice sounded out before anyone else had the time to comment on what had been heard.

Keegan turned to the man, his eyes that always served to remind her of her father's topaz ring shining brightly against the background of his deep umber skin, and rolled her eyes.

"I don't know about _you_ , but I need a nap before I think about going _anywhere_ ," Keegan said, the yawn that followed her words accentuating her point.

The time change was catching up with her quickly and she felt dead on her feet as the tumultuous emotions of the day combined with their traveling.

"The rooms upstairs are ready to be slept in. It will be nice for the beds to get some use." Esme chimed in, her voice as kind as her smile though the implication of their lack of a need to sleep had Rowan's lip curling up. However, even the grumpy hunter couldn't be rude to the motherly vampire.

Rowan simply shot a look towards Keegan before reluctantly nodding.

"Sleep would be nice." He said slowly, his tone lending towards Keegan's suspicion that he wouldn't be getting any sleep that night. The presence of the coven had him on edge.

"Rose, if you would." Carlisle requested and the blonde nodded, smiling over at Keegan as she gestured towards the stairs.

Rowan went up first, nodding as Rosalie pointed out the rooms to them before taking her leave and once she had, he lingered in the room in which Keegan had been placed.

"The vamp is alright." He commented, catching Keegan's attention as she pulled a pair of sweatpants from her bag.

Looking over at him, she regarded the expression on her partner's face before nodding.

"He is. We're lucky he is." She replied.

"We're not lucky that the Volturi saw the mortal girl with him," Rowan added, pulling a sigh from Keegan's lips as she traded her dark tights for the sweats without a care for the jewel-toned eyes watching her.

There was little between them that was private. That's what becoming true partner entailed after all.

"We're not lucky he saw into Edward's mind." He pointed out.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Keegan considered her friend's words.

She knew that what he said was absolutely true.

Now the Volturi would be watching the Cullens closely. Now the Volturi knew her face, her name, her heritage, and her friendship with the coven.

The Volturi knew that there were still hunters in the world, but that didn't mean that they wanted them there.

Being associated with the Cullens had just placed a bigger target on her head.

"There's nothing that we can do about that." She told her friend, trying to keep an even head about the situation.

"They're going to be after you, Key! We need to-"

"What we need to do is get some rest, Rowan. We're beat- both of us are. You need to sleep too. We can deal with this in the morning." Keegan reasoned, cutting off Rowan's rant that was sure to be about calling the Council then her parents.

Though he looked displeased, Rowan nodded his head in agreement after he truly looked at his partner and noted the darkness under her almond-shaped eyes.

The reason that he had been ready to launch into a flurry of action was due to the care he had for her, and that care now prompted him to offer her a gentle smile instead of frantic words.

"Sleep well, my friend." He whispered as he turned to switch off the room's light. "You're right. We can discuss this in the morning."

Whispering goodnight in return, Keegan was relieved that Rowan had been willing to let the topic slide for the moment.

She didn't want to dwell on her impending death or, at the very least, the hunt that would be undertaken to find her. At the moment all that she wanted to think about was the dark heaviness that was trying to pull her under and her willingness to give into that urge to sleep.

She was safe at the moment.

She was safe with the Cullens downstairs. With Emmett and Rosalie who were bound to be eavesdropping on their every word. With Carlisle and Esme whose protective nature had extended to her over the years. With Jasper who was quiet but fierce in his protective love. With Edward and Alice who were gifted in personality and nature and were on their way back to their family.

She was safe with her partner just across the hall though she expected he would be asleep at the end of her bed by morning.

With that feeling of sanctuary comforting her, she finally gave in to the sleep that was calling for her.


	5. Chapter 5

An early riser by necessity more than nature, Keegan was feeling more than smug about her knowledge of the inner workings of her partner when she had awoken to find him sprawled out over the empty space at the foot of her bed like she had predicted.

That smugness didn't last long, however.

After a quick shower, Keegan changed into her usual monochromatic ensemble of black leggings, a loose black tee, and her fitted black leather jacket before heading down the stairs.

Rowan had waited patiently as the young woman took time to ready herself for the day. It seemed that the hunter was still unwilling to part from her side even if that meant waiting as she braided her dark hair back and swiped on some mascara.

Now that they were both downstairs and munching on the fruit salad that Esme had provided for their breakfast, Keegan could sense the tension in the room like a visible cloud hanging between them all.

Alice was back from her less-than-fun adventure.

She had greeted Keegan exuberantly at the bottom of the stairs, easily sidestepping the swipe that Rowan had aimed at her out of pure instinctual reaction.

However, that was not the cause of the tension. Instead, it was the gaping lack of the final member of the Cullen family in the house that had everyone on edge.

Edward was still at Bella's.

According to Alice, he refused to leave the girl's side now that he had come to his senses about their relationship. Rowan had scoffed at that, but Keegan kept her thoughts to herself while she could.

Nibbling on a strawberry, Keegan watched the statue-still forms around the house.

Rosalie's eyes were trained out the window and the frown in place on her lips had Keegan handing off the fruit to her partner who was gazing at it longingly.

She pushed herself to her feet, crossing the room towards her friend without any hesitation in her movements.

Many saw Rosalie as dangerous, a bitch on a knife's edge when it came to being set off, but Keegan knew better.

Roaslie cared and she hated it, she lashed out to protect herself.

Keegan related.

"No one blames you," Keegan muttered, dropping her voice as low and quiet as she could though she knew that most everyone else in the house could still hear her.

They diverted their gazes and attention out of respect nonetheless.

Rosalie's amber eyes turned to regard the hunter at her side, her lips pursing as she seemed to consider her words before she simply nodded.

There were no pretenses between the two. If Keegan had thought that Rose deserved blame then she would have told her as much. They both were aware of that.

"He's back," Rosalie said suddenly, picking up on the approach of the missing member of their family first due to being the closest to the door.

Keegan had no doubts about Alice having seen it first, however.

Taking a step back from the door, Keegan turned and made her way back over to the table as the Cullens did the opposite and moved towards the door to greet Edward.

"Want me to hit him?" Rowan asked as he looked at his approaching partner, his feet now lifted to rest on the seat of her vacant chair.

He knew that Edward's request and then his disappearance had struck something inside of the woman that he couldn't begin to understand. He just knew it hurt her and that was more than enough to piss him off.

"If it comes down to it, I am more than capable of hitting him myself, don't you think?" Keegan replied, reaching down to push her friend's boots from her seat so that she could take it once more.

Carlisle was the first to reach Edward once he had come through the door. Their embrace was solid, secure, and Keegan tried her best not to eavesdrop on all of the family's exchanged words of love, concern, and apology.

It was only once she felt Rowan stiffen in his place beside her that she pulled her eyes from the dark grain of the kitchen table to see that Edward had approached them.

"Rowan, it's a pleasure to meet you finally," Edward said, greeting the male hunter first who looked at him with open disdain.

"Pleasure's all yours, let me assure you of that," Rowan growled back and Keegan kicked her friend's shoe.

"Keegan... can we talk? I have a lot that I want to say, a lot that needs to be said." Edward continued, paying Rowan's words no mind as he looked down at the dark-haired woman that he considered his closest friend outside of his family.

"I think you said plenty." Rowan snapped and Keegan kicked her friend once more before rising to her feet, holding back a heavy sigh.

"Let's take a walk." She suggested, not wanting to have the conversation so close to the others.

It deserved more privacy than they would receive inside the house.

The displeasure that Rowan felt over her suggest was apparent in his huff and the expression on his face, but Keegan simply patted him on the shoulder as she moved past him.

She knew that he would be safe with the Cullens, even if he didn't believe as much, and she knew that she would be safe with Edward.

Keegan allowed her friend to lead the way down the steps of the house and into the forest, trusting him to know the area better than she.

It was only once they were a good distance away from the modern home that he spoke, stopping and turning to face her.

"I do not even know where I can begin my apology." He said, his voice heavy with guilt and apology, but it was no longer pained and tight like it had been in the alley and her former hotel room.

That alone made Keegan happy for the man.

"Try the basics, Eddie." She replied, keeping her voice hard.

She had already forgiven him really, but he didn't need to know that.

She filled her thoughts with the hurt and anger and fear she had been feeling over the last 24 hours or so.

What he had asked of her, and his justification for doing so, had hurt her more than she would have thought it could. The fact that he believed she would kill him stung like the bite of a whip against bare flesh and though she understood that he was not in a mindset that should have made her concerned over her own feelings, she couldn't ignore them.

"I'm sorry for coming to you with that. I'm sorry for putting you in such a painful position. I'm sorry for even suggesting that you would... I'm sorry for hurting you like that. For running off without explanation. For not trying something else before... I'm sorry for-"

Keegan finally cut him off when she had heard enough.

"From what I gather, you just may be sorry." She said, the slightest of amused smiles on her lips as she looked at the vampire. "And you are forgiven, Edward."

Relief seemed to take a heavy weight off of her friend's shoulders and Keegan's smile would have brightened at the sight of her friend looking more like himself once more had she not controlled it.

"Forgiven, but if you pull a stunt like that again then you won't have to ask me for shit. I will send you limping back home to your coven in no time, we clear?" She asked, her threat obvious.

Edward had scared not only her with his meltdown, but his family as well. He had hurt them beyond what he could even begin to imagine.

As the thought passed through her mind, Keegan saw her friend flinch slightly, sadness and guilt pulling the corners of his mouth down.

"We are clear." He confirmed.

"Good," Keegan replied with a firm nod. "Now, take me back to the house. I need to make sure that my partner hasn't prodded Rose into beating him within an inch of his life."

* * *

 **Reminder! This _is_ a Paul Lahote imprinting story and it will get around to their first meeting soon! I promise! I just wanted to establish not only who Keegan is as a person and as a supernatural being, but also her relationship with Rowan and the Cullens. Your patience and enthusiasm are appreciated!**

 **Please remember to favorite, follow, and leave a review with your thoughts!**


	6. Chapter 6

Much to Rowan's displeasure, Keegan wanted to stay in Forks for longer than a couple of days.

The flight from Ireland to America hadn't been a short one and she saw no reason to hurry away from her immortal friends now that she had the chance to be around them for more than a quick visit or phone call.

Not to mention the fact that she had yet to meet the famous Bella Swan.

Frankly, she wanted to lay eyes upon the human whose assumed death had Edward going to such lengths to join her in the afterlife.

So until she had the chance to, an event that was being postponed by the mortal teen's 'grounding', the hunters were keeping themselves busy.

Standing in the small grassy clearing that served as the Cullen's backyard, Keegan laughed as she twirled around with her hunter's sword clutched in her hand.

The metallic sound of metal colliding rung out as Rowan's own blade met hers and they both attempted to disarm one another.

Visiting the Cullens did not mean that either of them got a break from training, especially not with those eager to watch them spar prodding them every other moment like Emmett and Jasper had been.

The large brunette vampire had wanted to go head-to-head with Keegan when she first mentioned training but Rowan had been quick to veto that idea. He claimed that they needed to practice together to continue to grow their bond as partners, but Keegan knew a lot of his reluctance was from the distrust he felt towards the vampire coven even after spending more than a few nights sleeping within their home.

The woman knew that Edward could confirm her suspicions of Rowan's thoughts, but she would never pry into her partner's mind like that. Even through someone else.

"It's like you're not even trying!" Keegan taunted as their blades glanced off one another's and Rowan took a mighty swipe at her.

The male hunter definitely had a power behind his blows that Keegan's lacked, but she was more nimble than he could ever dream of being.

Keegan easily side-stepped his swings, parrying his blade with her own while placing carefully aimed fists to his ribcage and other tender areas.

"You're such- a shit- talker," Rowan replied, punctuating his words with jabs and swings until the broadside of his sword slapped against her hip just as the tip of the smaller blade she had pulled from where it had been hidden on her person touched his throat.

"An even match," Jasper called from the porch where he and Emmett had perched to watch them.

"Boring!" Emmett boomed out his displeasure, pulling a laugh from Keegan even though her hip was aching with a fierce pain from her partner's blow.

"We're not here to amuse you, bloodsucker," Rowan growled, doubling over a second later from Keegan's rough elbow to his diaphragm.

The man had been a grouch all week due to being around the coven and she was getting exhausted by it.

"Lighten up, Ro. This is all good training, you know?" Keegan pointed out as they moved back towards the house that Jasper and Emmett had already disappeared inside of after the excitement of the spar had dispersed.

Rowan snorted his disbelief and Keegan frowned at him.

"It is. If you think about it, we're seeing vampires in their most natural states. We're witnessing those connections closer than any other hunter has before." She reasoned.

"I don't think your Cullens exactly represent the majority of the undead population." Rowan countered and Keegan had to give him that.

There was no denying that the Cullens were a unique case within the supernatural world.

"Nonetheless, I'm glad for the break from the road," Keegan said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"The road is where we belong, Key. We need to be out there saving people- or have you forgotten what we do?" Rowan asked and Keegan rounded on him, her expression attesting to the spark of anger she felt over his accusatory words.

"I never forget our duty." She told him, voice low.

Their spat in the front entrance of the Cullen's home was interrupted by the sound of tires hitting the end of the gravel driveway.

Both hunters turned and spotted a familiar car coming up the drive. At the sight of it, Keegan thought out a greeting towards her friend who was driving before nodding towards the inside of the house.

Even with their argument fresh on their minds, Rowan followed the woman into the house and moments later, they were joined in the living room by Edward.

"Have you seen the news?" He asked the hunters, both of them immediately shaking their heads.

In a flash of motion, Edward had moved and the television was turned on.

Keegan watched the monitor, her eyes widening as she took in the death count that rolled across the screen.

Five murders over the past two weeks in Seattle.

It was a number that screamed vampire to the hunters more than it screamed serial killer or gang violence like it would to humans.

"We need to take a trip to the city," Rowan said, the man's hand already resting on the hilt of the blade that he had sheathed at his waist after their spar just as Keegan had.

"We need to plan this out. With the eyes of the Volturi on us, we can not let this get out of hand but I'm not putting Bella in danger by handling this without the proper preparation." Edward said, his words clearly catching the male hunter off guard.

"I'm sorry, I must be mistaken because I could have just sworn you were trying to tell us how to do _our_ job," Rowan said evenly, his voice holding an edge that couldn't be concealed.

"Your _job_ is being carried out in our territory," Edward countered.

"Do you think the lines you've peed in the sand mean shit to hunters?" Rowan hissed in return.

"I think we need more information." Keegan finally interrupted, placing herself between the two men though only Rowan had shown any intention of moving. "Let's wait and research, Ro- just like we usually do. We never run guns a'blazing into the fray. That'll just get us killed and this circumstance is no different."

There was a beat of silence between the trio, the rest of the Cullens now filtering in through various doorways or down the stairs as they came to be filled in about the argument they had heard.

"Like Edward said, Rowan, Keegan- this is our territory and while I understand that that claim means nothing to those outside of the treaty or other vampires, it does mean that we would like to help keep this area safe," Esme said from the kitchen's doorway, her golden eyes holding open worry over the situation.

"We don't need-" Rowan began but Keegan was quick to cut him off.

"Treaty?" She questioned, echoing the term that the matronly vampire had used.

Keegan knew nothing about a treaty that the Olympic Coven had with anyone.

Had they made it with another coven? The Denalis perhaps?

It was only when she caught the immediate guilt that passed over Esme's face as she traded a look with her husband and children that Keegan realized she had picked up on something more important than she had initially thought.

The Cullens were hiding something from them.


	7. Chapter 7

"We've meant to tell you, Keegan, but everything has gotten so complicated," Esme said quickly after having spotted the incensed look on the vampire hunter's face.

Keegan didn't like being left out of the loop on _anything_.

The female's words did nothing to calm her mirth, however, and apparently recognizing this, Carlisle decided to intervene.

"It wasn't our secret to tell, but after all that has happened and is happening... you both deserve to know." He said, looking at Rowan and Keegan as he spoke.

The hunters exchanged a look and after a brief second's pause, Rowan nodded towards the couch.

"Might as well get comfy for story time." He reasoned and Keegan followed his lead by plopping down on the sofa next to him close enough that their legs were brushing.

"So this treaty..." Keegan pressed once they were settled.

"Eighty or so years ago, around 1936, we were in this area as we are now," Carlisle began, "At the time there were only five of us, Alice and Jasper had yet to join our family. We were running along the coast through the land of the Quileute Tribe, heading further north when we were intercepted by creatures that I had never come across before. At first, I thought them to be Children of the Moon, but over time I found that that is not the case. They think themselves werewolves as well, but in actuality, they are closer to being shapeshifters than anything else."

"You have a wolf pack around here?" Keegan asked, her eyebrows raised towards her hairline as she considered what she had been told.

"And you didn't think it was a good idea to tell us before a pair of hunters rolled into town?" Rowan questioned.

"They do not know about your existence. The Quileute legends only cover vampires and their wolven ancestors, the Cold Ones and their Spirit Warriors." Carlisle explained.

"But they're not werewolves?" Keegan asked, seeking clarification.

"They are not," Esme confirmed while her mate nodded.

"They are not created by a bite, they shift as they please instead of being a slave to the moon. The wolf is in their bloodline." Carlise said.

Again, Keegan found herself looking at Rowan just as he looked at her. With just a glance they collected one another's thoughts about what they were being told.

"Alright, so there is a pack of shapeshifters in La Push. That still doesn't explain the need for a treaty." Keegan said.

"The pack of that time only held three members, all who are related to the pack of the present. The Spirit Warriors were created out of a need to protect the tribe from the perceived threat of vampires, so while we didn't know what to make of them, they knew exactly what they thought of us." Carlisle continued.

"They were wanting to attack, but we outnumbered them." Emmett cut in, smiling as he spoke of the memory.

"Our numbers caused them to hesitate, which I am thankful for. We didn't want to hurt them, so we explained how our family lives without feeding on humans and I offered a treaty between us and the pack." Carlisle said. "The Alpha wolf of the time, Ephraim Black, believed that our offer was genuine and agreed to the treaty with two main points."

"We can not injure any humans in any way," Rosalie spoke up from where she stood at Emmett's side.

She didn't seem particularly interested in the story, but her eyes were trained on the hunters as she waited for their reactions.

"And we are never to trespass on Quileute land," Alice added.

"I agreed to these terms and proposed adding the concept of mutual secrecy. They never tell about what we are and we never speak about what they are." Carlisle stated. "Ephraim agreed, and we worked out the boundary lines. They have La Push and a few other reserves down the coast while we have Forks."

With the story concluded, Keegan sat for a moment just trying to take it all in.

The Cullens had kept an entire pack of vampire-killing wolf shapeshifters a secret from her since the day they had met.

"A condition of the treaty." Edward reminded her after hearing the direction of Keegan's thoughts.

"So... these wolves..." Rowan began, drawing all eyes towards him. "They hate bloodsuckers?"

Keegan suppressed a snort of amusement at her partner's eagerness for a common mind in the area.

"More or less," Carlisle replied with a small smile.

"My kind of shapeshifters," Rowan stated, his words pulling a laugh from Keegan now and breaking the tension in the room.

* * *

Standing in the lush forests of Washington, Keegan took the time to clear her mind.

As a hunter, they were taught many ways of bettering their minds and bodies to turn them into the most effective vampire killing machines possible.

One of those methods was deep meditation.

Knowing that the forest was one of the only places she would find peace without Jasper trying to provide it to her or Emmett poking the side of her face while she sat, Keegan took advantage and settled under the base of one of the large trees.

Getting comfortable, she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.

She lengthened her inhales, drawing out her exhales with purpose and focus.

She found her mind becoming more relaxed, less directed on the immediate and more open to the world around her.

She lost herself in the flow of the world.

Keegan was unsure just how long she had been sitting in the woods before she heard a howl cut through the regular sounds of nature that she had grown used to.

The loud call shocked her out of her meditative state and had her jumping to her feet in a split second, dark eyes scanning the woods around her.

She was still on the Cullen's territory, she had made sure of that, but there was no mistaking the sound of that howl.

It drew her in like a moth to a flame, she felt her feet urging her to move towards where the cry had sounded from but she held fast.

She knew little about the shapeshifters and didn't want to have a run in with them while they were still unaware of her own species' existence.

It gave her an edge that she wanted to keep.

With that in mind, Keegan turned on her heels and started back towards the Cullen's home. She ran deeper into their territory, leaving the wolves and their tempting call behind her.

Her boot-clad feet had only touched the first step leading up to the house when Alice appeared in the doorway.

"Hurry up. Something's going to happen." She said, confusing Keegan but the hunter did not hesitate and instead ran up the stairs to join the Cullens in the living room.

"Where's Rowan?" She asked immediately upon not seeing her partner.

"He went into town. He's coming down the driveway now." Jasper answered and true to his word, she heard the sound of gravel crunching under tires.

It seemed that Carlisle had let him borrow his Mercedes and Rowan was taking full advantage of that fact.

Rolling her eyes as the hunter brought the car to a dramatic and screeching halt, they all had to wait only another moment or two before Rowan was walking through the front door.

He paused when he spotted them all gathered around the room, his brow furrowing as he sought out Keegan and gave her a questioning look. Shrugging her shoulders, Keegan turned her attention to Alice in search of some answers herself.

"I had a vision today." The pixie-like vampire began to explain. "I saw Victoria coming back."

The Cullens let out a low hiss at the revelation.

"Victoria? As in one of the nomads that you had to deal with?" Keegan questioned.

"Yes, the mate of the one we killed," Alice confirmed.

"So she's after the mortal then?" Rowan wondered.

"We can assume as much," Alice said.

"If this is all about Bella then where is Edward?" Keegan asked.

"At Bella's. Carlisle gave her plane tickets a while back so that she could go visit her mother in Florida. He's going to convince her to use them so they will be out of town while we deal with her." Alice explained, pulling a scoff from Rosalie.

"Cleaning up her mess as usual." She scowled.

"Rose," Esme said, her tone reprimanding but not harsh.

"Either way, a vampire chasing after a mortal falls right into our line of work. We're in." Rowan spoke up, looking to Keegan who nodded her agreement.

"That being said we need to know everything that you know about the nomad." She requested and without hesitation, Carlisle began to fill them both in.

The immortal was clever and had a thirst for vengeance that was centered around Bella Swan.

Their job was to keep her from quenching that thirst.

Keegan double-checked her weapons.


	8. Chapter 8

That morning, Edward and Bella left for Florida.

Keegan stood on the Cullen's porch leaning against the railing of the house as she peered into the forest.

She was completely suited up, her weapons strapped to her waist, back, and legs.

This vamp, _Victoria_ , was on her way back to Forks according to Alice.

They were going to be there to meet her.

"Let's roll out," Rowan called as he approached, throwing an arm around Keegan's shoulders and leading her away from the railing and down the stairs.

Once their feet touched gravel, the rest of the Cullens were at their side.

"Think you can keep up?" Emmett asked the pair.

Keegan scoffed while Rowan raised a brow at the man.

"Just try to lose us." He challenged.

In the next moment, they were racing through the darkened forest.

Keegan bounded over fallen logs, staying only a few paces ahead of Rowan as they raced to keep up with the vampires.

The Cullens were faster than them, that was obvious, but just like Rowan had challenged them to, there was no losing the hunters.

They were just too skilled at tracking a vampire.

The group followed Alice's lead until the pixie stopped, her eyes wide and unseeing as she stood amongst the trees.

Everyone spread out around her, waiting for her cue.

As the minutes ticked on without sound nor scent of the vampire woman they were supposed to be after, everyone began to grow restless.

"You're sure this is where you saw her?" Carlisle asked.

"She's almost here," Alice confirmed.

With that piece of knowledge, Keegan lowered herself slightly. She kept her sword strapped to her back now as it was easier for her to run with it there. She was relying on the knives up her sleeve if she got as close to the redheaded vampire as she hoped to.

"On your left!" Alice called suddenly.

In a blur of motion, they were tearing through the forest after the vampire.

Keegan stuck close to Emmett's heels, pushing herself to her absolute limits as she strained to keep up with them.

She wasn't used to such tactics. Vampire hunters were stealthy and strategic, they knew they weren't at the same physical level as those that they hunted so they were smart about it.

Outright chasing a nomad through the woods was new territory for her.

As they ran, she knew that Rowan wasn't at her side.

The male hunter had followed Jasper and Carlisle where they had raced off in hopes of cutting the vampire off.

Instead, Rosalie was at her side as they both hugged her mate's heels.

Esme and Alice hung back a few paces, prepared to grab the redhead if she evaded them by pulling back suddenly.

Keegan's fingertips felt alive with energy as she spotted the auburn hair of the vampire flowing behind her like a flag as she lept from tree to tree.

Two could play that game.

Without a word, Keegan threw herself forward in a burst of energy and lept onto Emmett's shoulders. The man didn't break his stride even as she crouched on his back.

"Throw me." She requested and without a moment of hesitation, Emmett did as she said.

Grabbing a tree branch as she was vaulted upwards, Keegan used the momentum of Emmett's throw to sling herself forward to the next tree.

Now, she was only a hair behind the vampire who now glanced over her shoulder with wide eyes.

It was obvious that she had never come across a hunter before.

Feeling confident with Rosalie and Emmett at her back, Keegan bared her teeth at the woman with a grin.

"Surprise." She taunted, a blade from her sleeve falling down into her hand.

She pulled back her arm, ready to throw it and lodge it in the woman's shoulder just as the redhead threw herself across a large ravine.

Taking the leap as well, Keegan was more than prepared to grab the vampire when a pair of arms encircled her waist.

"No! She's in their territory!" Carlisle called out, him being the one that had grabbed Keegan to stop her from completing her jump.

They watched as the redhead looked back at them, but in the next second she was on the move again and so were they on their side of the ravine.

"She'll get away!" Rosalie hissed, but Jasper shook his head.

"No, she won't." He disagreed.

The snarls of wolves echoed down the ravine as they ran and it was then that Keegan realized what was keeping Victoria on the move.

The vampire apparently knew to fear the shifters.

Looking over at them as they ran parallel along the ravine, the hunter couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the creatures.

They were made to hunt vampires in a more obvious way than she and Rowan, that was obvious.

The wolves stayed hot on the redhead's trail, their large canines clacking together only mere inches from the heels of her feet as she pushed herself faster.

Throwing herself across the ravine once they got too close, Victoria seemed to understand that her chase was not a leisure exercise in avoidance anymore as she pushed herself harder.

Again, Keegan launched herself upwards into the tree branches.

She wouldn't win with her speed, she had to use the environment to her advantage.

Throwing herself from branch to branch, pushing off the bark with powerful strides, Keegan began to gain on her just as Jasper made a grab for the woman and missed by a breath.

They continued the chase, a blade thrown by Rowan forcing Victoria to duck, slowing her steps by a beat.

It seemed that she realized there was no longer a chance of her staying ahead of Emmett with that misstep and launched herself across the ravine once more.

"Emmett, no!" Esme yelled, her voice echoing off the rocks just as the brunet male threw himself across the gorge to follow the vampire.

He was impulsively focused on the hunt and Keegan was right there with him.

As he was about to land on the other side and as Keegan's feet found the end of the rocky ledge of the rift, a wolf slammed into the male and sent him flying into the water.

As he did that, Keegan threw herself over the gap and over the wolf's head, her eyes on Victoria who was watching Emmett and the wolf with a slight smile.

"Bitch," She snarled, her feet digging into the loose soil as she landed on the forest floor and went to sprint after the retreating vampire, but the appearance of two large growling shapeshifters had her pausing.

"Keegan!" Rowan yelled from the Cullen's territory, his chest heaving from the run and he debated whether following after his partner would be for the best or the worst.

Could he protect her or would he only antagonize the shifters further?

Keegan cursed to herself.

Victoria was gone.

"She has nothing to do with this or the treaty," Carlisle said calmly from where he stood with his family along the ravine, Emmett still in the water below. The large male was watching the wolves and his friend carefully as the silver wolf still stood along the bank snarling at him.

A few moments later, it began to slowly back off and a large shapeshifter appeared from the treeline in his human form.

"A human? You brought a human- _two_ humans- for what? To use as bait?" The man asked, his voice ringing with an authority that clued Keegan into the fact that he was the Alpha the Cullens had mentioned.

Sam.

Rowan scoffed at the man's assumption and Keegan regarded the wolves in front of her, noting their unsettlingly _human_ eyes.

"Of course not." Esme breathed out, sounding truly upset over their claim.

"We are not humans." Keegan cut in, knowing that it was the only way to calm the situation and that the Cullens would never break their confidence and reveal their identity.

"Bullshit," Another voice echoed from the treeline and two more barechested males emerged from the forest.

The wolf that had collided with Emmett was gone and Keegan assumed that the one who had spat his disagreement, who was trembling with apparent rage, had worn its fur.

"You breathe and have a heartbeat." Sam pointed out. "You _smell_ human."

"Funny, isn't it?" Rowan said, though his voice held no humor.

His jaw was tight as he kept his eyes on where Keegan stood amongst the wolves.

"Am I laughing?" The same angry wolf asked harshly.

"Paul." Sam reprimanded and Keegan was now able to place another name that the Cullens had given her to another shifter.

"Could a human have made that jump?" Carlisle asked the pack.

"We're hunters, specifically _vampire_ hunters. We're a rare breed, you wouldn't have heard of us before but we can prove it." Keegan said carefully, nodding over towards her partner who hesitated.

"Let her come back to this side first," Rowan called out.

"To a bunch of leeches?" Paul asked angrily. "No."

"I can handle a couple of vampires, wolf boy," Keegan said, pulling the dark eyes of the werewolf over to her.

She had been carefully moving to the side, trying to get a good enough angle so that she could jump down into the water to Emmett and the protection he provided before any of the wolves could grab her with their sickeningly sharp teeth.

The only thing that had her stopping her escape attempt was Paul.

Her breath caught in her throat as their eyes met, the exhale stuttering out as something seemed to click within her. She felt a sense of belonging, of _home_ , that she had never felt before until she looked at him.

She hadn't even noticed that his tremors had stopped.

"Keegan," Rowan called out, urging her to join him on the other side of the ravine.

It was then that she realized the two wolves in front of her had backed up with whines sounding from low in their throats. They were no longer threatening her.

"What?" She whispered to herself, looking back to Paul who had taken a step towards her, his hands reaching out as if he was going to grab her.

Was it a trap?

Shaking away her confusion, Keegan launched herself towards Rowan in the next second, hearing a shout from behind her as she landed and he steadied her.

It was obvious that the wolves hadn't expected her to be able to do such a thing if their expressions were anything to go by.

All but one of them seemed shocked.

Instead, Paul seemed enraged and horrified.

"Come back here!" He yelled, causing Keegan to tilt her head as she regarded him.

He raced to the edge of the ravine on the Quileute side, shaking so hard that his edges seemed to blur as he looked across at her.

"We've proven we are not humans." Keegan reasoned, confused by his insistence.

"It's not safe," Paul told her, his tone edging on pleading.

There was no reason to keep her from them now. She didn't fall under their pack's terms of protection.

"You said you're vampire hunters. That jump didn't prove that." The other shifted wolf said.

Only two remained in their animal form, flanking the group on either side. It was the pair that had been keeping her in place earlier.

"If you hunt them, why are you hanging around them?" He continued.

"The Cullens are different. They are friends." Keegan explained, elbowing Rowan before he could make any sound of incredulity.

"So you're not human?" Sam asked, one of his hands on Paul's shoulder as he joined him near the edge, looking as if he had to keep him physically in place.

"We are not," Rowan confirmed.

"But you're alive? Heartbeat and all?" He prodded.

"We are," Keegan said with a nod.

"What do you do?" The unnamed human shifter asked.

"Much like you, we protect humans from the things that go hiss in the night," Rowan said, his tense expression turning into a smirk now. "Leeches and bloodsuckers alike."

Those words got a reaction out of the wolf pack, the wolves huffing out what sounded like laughs as the shifter who asked them about their role in the world outright chuckled.

"Do they smell like bleach and death to you too?" He asked before Sam told him, whose name was apparently Jared, to be quiet.

"Your _children_ need to watch the boundary, Carlisle," Sam stated loudly, looking pointedly to Emmett who had joined them at the top of the ravine by that point.

"We were caught up in the chase, our apologies. Defending our family comes first to us much like it does you." Carlisle said smoothly.

"See that it doesn't happen again," Sam said, holding Carlisle's gaze before turning his eyes to Keegan.

"We're curious about your kind, about why you are here." He told her. "We'd like to arrange a meeting. If you are staying this close to our territory and even coming onto it, we deserve to know about you."

Keegan looked first to her partner after the request, watching as his eyes scanned the wolves before he looked down to meet her gaze.

"We can meet." Keegan agreed after a moment, her eyes still holding her partners.

"The Cullens will be present as well if they would be kind enough to." She added, now looking over to her friends.

"Of course we will," Alice said with a nod, reaching out a hand towards Keegan who took it without hesitation, giving it a gentle squeeze.

A snarl tore across the gorge, snapping all eyes back to the trembling form of Paul as he growled.

"They don't need to come," Jared said, looking at his packmate with what seemed like sympathy.

"We don't know you, but we know your numbers. We're not stupid enough to show up somewhere unknown alone." Keegan reasoned.

"We would never hurt you," Paul said, his voice pleading through the growls.

His dark eyes were fixed on Keegan, pinning the hunter in place.

"Paul." Sam snapped, his tone heavy with warning and the man ducked his head under the weight of it.

"We can meet in three days, here." The Alpha continued, looking to both vampire hunters.

Paul seemed to tear his gaze from Keegan to turn it on the Cullens, the warning obvious behind them.

"Three days." He repeated, the words were more like a snarl and Carlisle nodded his head, looking at him curiously.

"Come on," Jasper said softly from behind them, urging both Rowan and Keegan back from the ledge.

They complied, both hunters taking steps back towards the trees with their eyes on the restless wolves on the other side.

Even as Rowan turned to race through the trees with the Cullens, Keegan lingered a moment longer by the gorge.

Her eyes were trained on one wolf who stood stark against the trees, his eyes boring into hers.

The sound of her name had stopped her.

"Keegan," Paul had rumbled, making her name sound like a prayer.

She didn't understand what it was that drew her to the shapeshifter, or what seemed to draw him to her, but she couldn't deny the pull. It was an instinct like any other and she had been taught to never question her instincts.

A bark from the trees had the man turning to leave, the reluctance obvious in his body.

"Paul," She said quietly, the words barely more than a breath leaving her parted lips, but as if she had shouted it, his head snapped to her.

In seconds flat he was back at the edge of the ravine, his bare feet gripping the rock as he seemed to reach out to her.

The action shocked Keegan back into her mind and though it almost pained her to do so, she melted into the treeline and tore off after the Cullens.


	9. Chapter 9

The rain in Seattle simply set the mood for their hunt as Keegan crept down a back alley with Rowan at her side.

The pair of hunters had been combing the city for the entirety of the day in search of something that would lead them to the vampires who decided to make the place their feeding ground.

Honestly, Keegan was surprised that they hadn't run into any other hunters that were attracted to Washington by the headlines.

The place had become home to a rising massacre.

Both of the hunters were constantly wondering if there was a connection between the reappearance of Victoria and the number of deaths. One thing they knew for sure was that it was not only one vampire and that the vampires were not at all discreet.

Newborns were the best guess they had.

"With how careless they are being, you would think that we'd have a lead," Rowan muttered, running his fingertips along the dirty brick wall that lined the alley as they walked.

"We need to get back to Forks," Keegan said, peering out onto the sidewalk ahead of them before stepping out onto it.

"Need to get back to your bloodsuckers," Rowan said bitterly and Keegan rolled her eyes.

"Bella is coming over later. I want to meet her." Keegan defended, knowing that with every passing day her partner was growing more and more restless around the Cullens. If it wasn't for Victoria and the deaths in Seattle then she was sure that he would have drug her away days ago.

"It's not going to feel right... watching a human stand in a house with a bunch of leeches." Rowan said and Keegan pressed her lips together but nodded slowly.

She couldn't help but agree with her friend even with how she cared for the Cullens.

It went against her very nature to stand idly by in that type of interaction.

"Where'd we park?" Keegan asked in lieu of reply and Rowan narrowed his eyes at her before shaking his head.

"Two streets over. That car should get us back to that godforsaken place in no time." Rowan replied.

"With you driving I don't doubt it." Keegan quipped back, laughing as her partner shoved her.

* * *

When they pulled up outside of the Cullen's home, Keegan was not happy to see that Edward's car was already in the driveway.

Rowan took care not to park him in and both hunters got out and made their way to the house.

Stepping through the front door, it didn't take either hunter long to pick out the human amongst the bunch.

Even if they couldn't hear her heartbeat, she didn't have the look of a vampire.

She was pale, there was no doubting that, but it wasn't the same kind of flawless ivory that the Cullens had. Also, there was the matter of her big brown eyes.

"Bella, this is Keegan and her partner, Rowan." Edward introduced before the hunters could even think about introducing themselves.

Bella offered them a smile, the action seeming a bit nervous as her dark eyes flickered between the pair. They lasted a beat longer on Rowan than Keegan and the woman could assume why.

Elbowing her partner without a second thought, Keegan felt satisfied by the hiss of pain that escaped him.

"Be nice." She admonished.

"I am nice. I was just trying to understand." Rowan shot back, explaining the intense look she had guessed he had been giving the girl.

"Understand what?" Bella asked, her voice hesitant but not timid as Keegan would have assumed it would be.

Both hunters sized up the human girl for a moment before Rowan shrugged his broad, leather-clad shoulders.

"Why you would be hooking up with a bloodsucker." He elaborated, smiling sharply when his rather crude way of putting things had Edward hissing defensively.

Bella didn't seem taken aback, again surprising Keegan. Instead, the human girl just let out a groan that sounded... _exasperated_?

"Not another one." She complained and with the laugh that Emmett let out, Keegan assumed they were missing something.

"Another one what?" Keegan asked much like Bella had moments before.

"You met the wolves, Keegan. I'm sure you picked up on the fact that they were not our biggest fans." Esme explained kindly.

"You run with the wolves as well?" Rowan asked Bella.

The brunette's brow furrowed at the question.

"You know the pack?" She questioned in return and both hunters nodded though Rowan's was more of a shrug.

"We... ran into one another." He drawled out and Keegan could see the cogs turning inside Bella's head before she whipped around to glare at Edward.

"You let them go after Victoria?" She hissed.

"He didn't let us do anything, _sweetheart_. Fang has no say in what we do or where we go." Rowan cut it.

"We might look human, Bella, but we're not," Keegan added, more focused on keeping the peace than her partner was.

That statement seemed to ground the human a bit and she now looked at them with more curiosity than caution.

"Edward said that you two are... hunters? Vampire hunters?" She asked slowly and both hunters nodded.

"That's the common term here and in the UK at least," Keegan said.

"There's also _acosador de noche, danseur de sang_ , sneaky bastards, you name it." Rowan listed with a taunting smile.

"There are those." Keegan agreed with a laugh.

"So you both... _hunt_... vampires?" Bella asked, cringing at the way her words came out even as they were still being spoken.

"We do. We go after the real baddies." Keegan said.

"Like James," Bella commented.

"Like Victoria," Keegan countered, holding the human's eyes for a beat until they were looking away from her and to Edward.

Keegan felt Rowan's hand tap lightly on the small of her back as a gesture of support and she leaned against his thick arm for a moment, the familiar coolness of the leather of his jacket soothing her.

Bella's visit had come and gone fairly quickly after the hunters' arrival though Esme reassured her that her rather quick departure had nothing to do with them and all to do with a small disagreement between her and Edward.

Just looking at him Keegan knew that Rowan had a lot of thoughts on that situation, but thankfully he kept his mouth shut for once.

She went about the motions of the evening with little awareness, eating and cleaning dishes before heading upstairs to shower.

All the while her mind kept drifting back to one thing- the wolf in the forest.

Paul.

Their parting interaction had been strange, looking back on it Keegan could see as much and knew that if Rowan had still been standing there then he would have thought she completely lost it, but even so, she couldn't get it out of her head.

The way he said her name with such reverence. How he responded so quickly when she said his name. The way her heart pounded and her breath caught just because their eyes met.

It was completely and utterly discombobulating.

She should have been thinking about the Seattle killings, Victoria, meeting Bella, or even their meeting with the wolves the next day, but she wasn't.

As the hot water beat down on her shoulders the only thought in Keegan's mind was the shifter with dark eyes and strong hands who trembled so strongly that he had blurred before her eyes.

Turning the shower up that much hotter, she grabbed the bottle of shampoo and squeezed a generous amount into her palm before lathering up her thick dark hair.

She needed to get him out of her head before the meeting. She couldn't afford to be distracted.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning was one typical of Washington, though Keegan was grateful the day was just dark and misty rather than rainy. She had spent more than her fair share of time in dreary places, the U.K. being notoriously rain-filled, but that didn't mean she exactly welcomed that kind of weather.

"I wonder what kind of shit these wolves are going to be looking for us to tell them." Rowan wondered aloud from where he was stood next to her on the Cullen's porch, bent over at the waist so that he could lace up his boots.

In the house, Keegan knew that the Cullens were all just waiting for her to give the go to head to where they were supposed to be meeting the wolf pack that morning.

Though he had missed their initial encounter with the pack, Keegan also knew that Edward was especially interested in their meeting that day. She knew that he currently had some sort of personal tension with the wolves, something about Bella and one of the pack members being close friends. She had known that Bella knew the pack, but she didn't realize to what extent exactly. Keegan could imagine being in the middle of that kind of feud would be tough for the human girl. After all, she got enough of a taste of that kind of tension with how much her partner disliked the Cullens a majority of the time.

"Probably the same kind of stuff we are interested in knowing about them- their culture, their bloodline, whether or not they plan to ever take their gift off the reservation, what their confrontations with vampires have been like thus far." Keegan listed off, the part of their hunter training that had them acting more like detectives than supernatural killers coming to the surface.

Thinking about their impending meeting was hard, especially since Keegan knew that Edward was privy to all thoughts that ran through her head. She tried her best to think about the pack as a whole rather than the one member who kept drawing her mind's eye. She did her best to hum Bohemian Rapsody in her thoughts rather than remember the way Paul had looked at her so desperately from where he stood on a rock across the ravine, his eyes begging for her to join him as his hands seemed to reach out to her.

She had turned her back... but now they were going to return.

She _had_ agreed to return after all.

"You ready?" Rowan asked, now standing up straight and looking down at her, his deep voice pulling her from her thoughts that seemed to rise and depress faster than she hoped Edward could keep up with.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Keegan confirmed and hopped off the porch just as Rowan called towards the house for the Cullens, not bothering to raise his voice as he did so.

Keegan and Rowan were joined by Carlisle, Edward, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper for their run through the forest and the eventual meeting with the wolves. The hunters did not want the entire coven tagging along as they felt it would possibly lead to them being viewed as weak by the pack by needing the Cullen's protection.

Edward, Carlisle, and Alice had been strategic picks as their companions. On from that, Jasper went where Alice did and frankly, Emmett just refused to be left behind.

Upon their arrival to their side of the ravine, the forest was quiet.

Keegan tip-toed along the rocky edges of the gorge, her eyes roving from the far tree line to the water in the small river below. Only a pace or so away, Rowan stood with thick arms crossed over his chest.

Today, his dark flawless skin was more on display as he had shed his leather jacket to leave him in just the fitted black t-shirt that he typically wore underneath it.

Following his lead, perhaps unconsciously so, Keegan had done the same. Now, as the mist furled around her and brought goosebumps to her skin, she was beginning to regret it.

"They're approaching," Edward informed the group mere seconds before Keegan herself heard the soft tread of large paws on the forest floor.

Rowan neared the edge of the gorge now to stand next to his partner, the hunters presenting as the united front that they were with the Cullens falling into place only a step behind them.

Gradually, Keegan began to catch flashes of fur between the trees as the pack seemed to scope out the situation they were stepping in to.

Like their first encounter, two of the shifters stayed in their wolf form, but the rest of the pack exited the treeline wearing the skin of men, clad in jean shorts, some fitting others better than the rest.

Their tawny chests were left on display along with the tribal tattoo on their upper arm that seemed to denote their belonging to the pack in their human form.

"We're glad that you both decided to meet with us again," Sam called out over the ravine, his eyes on Keegan and Rowan as he spoke.

"Can't deny that we were curious about you lot, just like you are about us," Rowan replied as he sized up the men on the other side of the water.

Keegan, however, only had eyes for one of the wolves that had approached the boundary line.

She couldn't resist the temptation to meet his eyes and his dark orbs burned into hers, sending heat through her veins as if she was injected with flame.

Her breath came out a bit shakier, and if she wasn't mistaken, there was a tremble in his exhale as well.

"You must be joking," Edward said, his disbelieving tone jolting Keegan from whatever trance she had seemed to slip into and also served to capture the attention of everyone in their little meeting.

"Who pissed in your Bloodie-O's this morning, Drac?" Rowan asked, but Sam spoke over his question.

"Edward," The Alpha began, sounding pained just to use one of the vampire's names, "this meeting is between us... it's been called to let us to explain and learn about one another, unlike how you have always known about the both of us."

"None of you can keep your pack magic to yourselves," Edward hissed, continuing on as if Sam hadn't spoken. Annoyance was evident in his tone, which surprised Keegan.

Her friend was usually the one who kept a cool head, and though she was aware of his preexisting issues with the pack, it was out of character for Edward to be so openly irritated.

"It isn't a choice and you of all people should be able to get that." Another one of the wolves spoke up.

"Mind your own business, _leech_. How about you let people make their own choices for once?" Another wolf, one that Keegan recognized as Bella's friend, Jake, snapped.

"What choice is there? Who actually gets a choice in this?" Edward hissed in return.

"She does." Paul snarled, his tone having Keegan torn between taking a step to leap over the ravine towards him, or to take a step back towards her friend.

Keegan felt like they were all purposely speaking in code and it seemed that Rowan shared that thought.

The Cullens that were present, however, looked shocked about something rather than confused.

Apparently, pieces of some puzzle had fallen into place for everyone but the hunters.

"Keegan... I think that Rowan and you should spend the day with the wolves. They won't hurt either of you, they know that would void our treaty even if it was never a specific clause. You both are our family." Carlisle said, smoothly interrupting the bickering and finally offering up some sort of action plan. "You both deserve to learn about one another. As Sam said, we have all known about the both of you for so long... it's only fair."

Rowan grumbled at being included under the title of the Cullen's family, or _coven_ since that was what he cursed it as being nothing more than under his breath.

"Really? I don't think that-" Emmett began, his expression more serious that Keegan had ever seen it as he glared first at the pack before turning his gaze to his adoptive father.

"A day without the vamps? I'm in." Rowan said, quickly cutting Emmett off and looking to the men across the gorge. "That good with you?" He asked Sam, and after getting a confirmation, he wrapped his hand around Keegan's.

Keegan was still confused. She felt like she had gotten whiplash from Edward and the pack's back-and-forth only to be jolted to an abrupt halt by Carlisle's suggestion.

Sensing her hesitation, her partner dipped his head to catch Keegan's eyes, tearing them away from where they had been scrutinizing Edward.

"Hey, we got each other's backs, right? We wanted to know more about them and this is our chance. We don't need a fucking _coven_ to get our answers. Never have before." He told her, his eyes imploring her to agree.

Keegan knew that Rowan's nerves and patience had been wearing thin over the past few days. While, for some reason, Keegan was able to feel at ease with this particular family of vampires, she knew it wasn't easy for him.

Their senses were designed to warn against a vampire's presence, not to exist constantly within range of them. It was like nails on a chalkboard most of the time when they were within arm's reach, let alone in their home.

With only another second of hesitation, Keegan sighed and gave in.

"That sounds like a good plan, Carlisle. We'll be in touch later today." Keegan told them, returning Alice's gentle smile and ignoring Emmett's protests before nodding at Rowan that she was ready.

Together, the hunters lept across the gorge and though she hadn't stumbled on her landing, Keegan felt hot hands brush her hip once her boots hit the dirt and she turned her head to see that Paul had found his way directly to her side.

"Agreeing to answer your questions and ask our own on your turf did not mean that the boundaries of personal space went out the fucking window." Rowan sniped as he inserted himself between his partner and the handsy wolf, sizing up the other man with a distinct lack of fear that could have been considered cocky or stupid if he didn't have the skills to back it up.

A low snarl bubbled up in Paul's throat, the noise not bringing any semblance of fear to the forefront of Keegan's mind, but she readied herself to defend her partner nonetheless.

"Paul, back off. We got all day to figure all this out." Sam's powerful voice stated, and as if his words were underlaid with a silent command, every shifter around them seemed to take a step back from the hunters.

"Alright, first things, first- teach me how to do that." Rowan requested of the Alpha, who seemed amused by him.

"First things first, the Alpha is inherited, not taught," Sam informed Rowan in return and both hunters absorbed that first piece of shared information.

Keegan's eyes had followed Paul's retreat and the man's eyes hadn't left her either. She was attending her partner's movements and conversation, but Paul was what held the majority of her focus.

That was a dangerous thing.

Acknowledging that, Keegan forced herself to rip her gaze from him just as Sam directed them towards the treeline, this time on the Quileute side of the river. There was the mention of Sam's home, a woman named Emily, and according to Jared, the best food they'd ever taste.

As the wolves moved on, the hunters had no choice but to follow.

As she began to leave, Keegan cast a glance back over her shoulder to consider the Cullens. She held Edward's gaze for a long moment, returning his reassuring nod, before she disappeared into the forest like a shifter herself.


	11. Chapter 11

It had taken Keegan and Rowan an annoying amount of time to convince the pack that they could all shift and lead the way to Sam's house rather than slowly making their way there in human form.

Both hunters knew that they appeared human in pretty much every way and that that confused the supernatural community, something that was genetically beneficial for them when it came to catching vampires off guard, but after pointing out the fact that they had kept up with the Cullens during the chase a few days prior, they had thought that the pack would get the picture.

Still, it took some annoyingly circular arguments before they were racing through the forest on the heels of wolves.

They lept over a fallen tree with ease, nearly rolling their eyes as they did so just to find a few of the wolves looking back at them as if making sure they were able to do so.

Similarly to themselves, Keegan sensed that the drive to protect humans was just so ingrained in the wolves' nature that they were having a hard time dropping those instincts, even when presented with the fact that Keegan and her partner were definitely more than an average human.

Approaching a small clearing, Keegan and Rowan slowed as the wolves did.

Their nostrils flared as they took in the smells coming from the small house that sat in the center of the clearing. The smell of food was unmistakable and Keegan recalled one of the wolves, Jared, telling her about Sam's fianceé, Emily's amazing cooking. Next, Keegan sorted out the smell of an unfamiliar human and a pair of wolves.

"Come on, we don't bite." One of the wolves that Keegan believed to be called Quil, now wearing his human skin, called out as the shifted and dressed pack seemed to flood from the treeline.

"Not unless you want me to, that is." Another added, sending a wink Keegan's way.

The hunter was ready to roll her eyes at the obviously teasing wolf, knowing that if he meant her any harm or annoyance then she could and would put a stop to it before even Rowan had a chance to. However, his words were followed immediately by a loud snarl that had her heart racing in her chest and the unknown trio in the house falling silent.

"Chill, Paul. It was just a joke." Jake said, breaking the silent moment of tension even as Paul still seemed to be glaring at the playful wolf's back.

"Embry can keep his jokes to his fucking self." Paul snapped back, again trembling as he had the day of the chase, though not so hard that his edges were blurring as they had then.

"I can handle some teasing, wolf boy," Keegan called out to the obviously angered shifter, watching as his eyes snapped to her.

His gaze seemed to cut right to her core and somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that they looked like a pair of crazy people just staring at one another as they were, but she couldn't find it in her to break their held gaze until Rowan did so rather forcefully.

"The bloodsuckers make my head hurt, but so far these guys are like dealing with steroid-popping teens," Rowan grumbled as he draped an arm over Keegan's shoulder, cutting a scathing look towards Paul as he made the decision that the hunter pair were going to head towards the house.

"And you-" Rowan continued as they climbed the front steps, passing the wolf that had been pointed out as Embry, "-in the spirit of good relations, I suggest keeping your teeth to yourself. She bites harder."

That comment had a laugh falling from Keegan's lips, shaking her head at her partner before they moved to enter the house only to be stopped by Embry's arm across the doorway.

Both hunters looked to him, immediately their defenses rising as they first assumed he had taken Rowan's comment poorly, but the shifter's face was somber, not angry.

"Hey, uh, when you meet Emily. Don't stare, okay? It makes Sam upset." Embry requested of the pair, his voice so low that without their supernatural hearing, the pair would have missed it.

With no questions asked, Keegan nodded and Embry dropped his arm, allowing the pair to finally enter the house.

"I suggest you grab a plate now before these guys wolf it all down!" A willowy woman called out as she approached the hunters, a beautiful smile on her lips even though one side of her mouth was pulled down by one of the scars that marred one side of her face.

Embry's comment made more sense now, but what the wolf didn't know was that as far as injuries go, this was definitely one of the kinder ones that the hunters had seen compared to those in their own community.

"Thank you for letting us into your home, ma'am," Rowan said, equally as unphased by the scars the woman bore as he inclined his head to her.

This action seemed to throw Emily for a moment, but she recovered quickly and waved off his gratitude.

"Friends of the pack are friends of mine," Emily told them, her voice holding nothing but sincerity and that made Keegan smile in return.

"I wouldn't call us friends... at least not yet," Keegan said, "But we do hope to be."

Though still smiling, Emily's eyes seemed to sweep down Keegan for a moment before coming back to meet her eyes, holding her gaze more intensely than she had Rowan's.

"I hope so too."

With that, Emily was flitting back towards the kitchen with Sam trailing along behind her, two dinner rolls clutched in one of his big hands.

Most of the pack had gathered around in the dining room, some pouring over to the living room but instead of sitting on the furniture there, they stood, their bodies turned towards the practical strangers that were still in their midsts.

It seemed that though friendly and playful, the wolves weren't ones to underestimate a threat.

That made Keegan respect them even more and as she watched her partner take note of the shifters' positions throughout the room, she knew that it did the same for him.

"I'm Seth by the way!" A voice called from amongst the chaos around the table and it took Keegan a brief moment to find which of the tanned men the voice belonged to.

This Seth looked younger than most of the wolves, his eyes bright and eager, his face kind.

"I'm Keegan, this is my partner, Rowan." She replied, her tone kinder than it had been with most of the pack.

"And that's Leah, her and Seth are siblings, but unlike him, _she_ doesn't play nice with guests," Embry said from the table, nudging the female beside of him who was scarfing down the food with the rest of them.

The woman looked at the hunters with narrowed eyes but didn't say anything until Rowan spoke up, his need for answers getting the best of him.

"Good as time as any to get this getting-to-know-each-other train rolling. You lot have female shifters?" He asked and immediately, Keegan could sense that it was a sore spot for the pack.

"Lee's the only one that we've got," Seth spoke up, his tone gentle and his eyes sadder than they had been previously as he glanced at his sister.

"Ah, so either you hate being a wolf, love, you've lost a lot of females, or this lot are actually a bunch of misogynistic pricks. Which is it?" Rowan asked, sensing the tension as Keegan did.

She sent an elbow into her partner's ribs, but it was too late.

"None of your business, leech lover." Leah sneered and Keegan couldn't stop the shocked snort of laughter that escaped her, Rowan's expression at such an insult being used to refer to _him_ being priceless, to say the least.

The female shifter, however, didn't stop to see if the insult landed, instead she blew from the house like a tornado and once she was gone and Keegan had regained her composure, she offered an apologetic smile to Seth then Sam.

"Don't worry about it. Leah... well, like Embry said, she has a hard time with strangers." Sam reassured.

"More like with anyone," Paul added, shrugging as Sam gave him a reprimanding look.

"So you guys are from England?" Quil asked, referring to their accents and apparently feeling free to ask any of their own questions since Rowan had cracked that can wide open.

"We grew up there, yes," Rowan stated, being more tight-lipped with their answers than Keegan saw necessary.

It was Rowan who had decided that they would go with the wolves that day, after all, and giving cagey answers would get them all nowhere.

"Hunters from our region are typically born in a compound in England then we go off to live on whatever estate is decided on for our families to use while raising and training us. Ours just happened to be in England." Keegan explained. "Typically, however, hunters are nomadic in nature. That's why the estates, though typically owned by and named after one of the families, are used by all at one time or another."

Seemingly resigned to the fact that Keegan was going to be chatty about their background, Rowan sighed before adding, "We actually got to grow up on Key's family's estate, but it was just by chance due to when we were born."

"When... you _both_ were born? You're... well, you're not blood siblings or anything... I mean, right? Definitely not twins." Quil asked, seeming confused and Keegan could understand why.

Hunter culture was as complicated as it came. She chalked it up to being the fault of having such small numbers with high-stress jobs and little trust. It made them reclusive as a species.

"Definitely not siblings," Rowan answered, chuckling as he exchanged a glance with Keegan.

"Hunters have a lot of weird cultural things, I'm warning you now," Keegan told the wolves, her eyes jumping from each man (and Emily), only allowing herself to linger a beat longer on Paul than the rest before pulling her gaze from his.

She could feel his eyes practically boring into her the whole time they had been stood in the kitchen.

"We got weird secrets of our own. If you're willing to share, we're willing to learn." Sam said, his calm voice soothing and she cast him a small smile.

She was unsure about him at first, but it was obvious he was a good leader. It seemed he had a good head on his shoulders and a good heart if how his arms were wrapped around his fiancee had anything to say about it.

"Assumedly similar to your 'pack magic,' we've got a fair amount of supernatural mojo that floats around in our lives as well," Rowan told the pack, referencing the term that Edward had used early to let them know that he had not forgotten about that odd exchange. "Because of that, when new hunters are conceived, it tends to happen to two hunter mothers at the same time. It could be one in Greece and the other in Africa, but our people are very strict about keeping everyone informed of when it happens."

"So, when that does happen, the families make very specific arrangements because of one of the most central concepts in our species. True Partners." Keegan continued, looking towards Rowan with a smile that held a fondness that couldn't be denied.

For once, Rowan's expression seemed to soften as well as he met his partner's gaze, his hand rising to press against his chest over his heart and she mimicked the movement.

"Okay... what does that mean exactly? Is it like how vampires have a mate? Or like imp- _uh_ , or like soul mates?" Seth asked, stumbling over his question as he glanced warily in Paul's direction.

Keegan, having turned back to the pack before her partner did, caught the look and her brow furrowed in response.

Again, she felt like she was being left out of some loop.

Catching the less than happy look on his partner's face, Rowan thought that perhaps she felt overwhelmed by sharing all of their cultural specifics first with little in return.

"More like soul mates than vampire mates. We were raised together until teens, then were separated to train in our individual families' ways, then brought back together a few years ago to train for the ceremony that will take us from partners, connected by circumstance and being raised together, to True Partners, bound by blood and magic." Rowan gave a shorter explanation of the very complex past that was between himself and Keegan, brushing over the bonding ceremony before narrowing his eyes at Sam.

Any trace of the softness that had been on his face when he looked at Keegan earlier was gone.

"Now, you've been keeping something from us. Time to share your own stories, mate." He demanded.


	12. Chapter 12

The wolf pack fell silent at Rowan's challenge.

Well, as close to silent as they had been since they had left the presence of the Cullens at least.

Keegan's sharp gaze took in the way that the shifters seemed to glance at one another, their unease apparent in the lines of their bodies. Quil even went so far as to shove a whole dinner roll in his mouth as if he thought he would need an excuse not to speak if she or Rowan turned their sights on him instead of Sam.

The aforementioned Alpha, however, didn't falter under Rowan's hard stare. Instead, he simply looked back at the male hunter, tilting his head a bit as he seemed to take a moment to consider the situation.

"Our pack has legends that are passed down from generation to generation. They're the stories of our ancestors, of the wolf spirits that protect our tribe. They're really the only information that we have on our abilities outside of what we have learned from our own experiences as a pack." Sam told them, releasing his fiancee from his embrace then so that he could step closer towards the pair of hunters.

"We don't share those stories with outsiders." He stated plainly, and as if he could sense Rowan's objections forming, he held up a hand to pause the outspoken man before pressing on. "But there _are_ exceptions."

His heavy gaze shifted from Rowan to Keegan then, the weight that it held being something that she felt came from the responsibility and power he held within his pack.

"You shared your own background with us, at least partially, so we are willing to do the same with you. However, there are some parts of our story that are not mine to tell you." He said and it felt as if he was speaking directly to Keegan at that moment rather than to Rowan as well.

She didn't understand why that was, but she was willing to listen nonetheless.

She figured that there was no harm in hearing the wolves out.

"Then whose are they?" Rowan asked, his voice edged with steel that hadn't been there before.

The man couldn't quite place the unease that was brewing within him and he went back and forth between thinking that the pack could be good allies. Overall, they seemed to be against vampires as much as hunters were and they had the drive to protect humans much like themselves as well. However, there was something about how they looked at Keegan as if including her in some unspoken circle that put him on edge. He didn't like how Paul's eyes never seemed to leave her for more than a moment.

He was more than used to his friend being ogled, being attractive was simply helpful for the hunter gig, but the look behind the shifter's eyes was more than just simple lust.

He looked at her as if he _knew_ her- as if he cared for her. He looked at her like she was the only thing worth looking at.

Sam didn't answer Rowan's sharp question, instead choosing to simply hold Keegan's gaze until she finally nodded.

"Tell us what you can." She prompted.

As Sam stepped towards the center of the room, Keegan moved towards her partner, only stopping once her shoulder was pressed against his bare arm.

"As a tribe, we've always had magic in our blood." Sam began, his words capturing the attention of everyone in the room. It was obvious to Keegan that much like her people, the wolves treasured their legends.

"From the start, we were great spirit warriors. Shapeshifters, ones that transform into the powerful wolf and are armed with claws and fangs that let us scare off our enemies and protect our tribe." He lamented. "We were defenders, and one day our warriors came across a creature who resembled a man, but whose skin was hard as stone and cold as ice. They had been searching for what was causing people from neighboring tribes, and eventually our own, to disappear. Upon finding this creature, they knew he was not a being still full of life- and they discovered that it was he who had been killing their people. Needing to put a stop to the murders of their people, the pack attacked, fighting ferociously until our warriors' sharp teeth finally tore the creature apart. The son of the chief, Yaha Uta, was the only warrior left alive and he brought the creature's granite corpse back to the village leaders where they eventually found that only fire would completely destroy it. "

Keegan was completely entranced by the Alpha's storytelling, and she could feel that her partner was as well. They had their own stories of clashing with the vampire species throughout their history but never before had they heard another group's similar tale.

"Now that the Cold Man had been defeated, the wise warriors lived in fear that he was not alone. And they were right to be afraid. The cold one that they had killed to protect the tribe had a mate, and she took her vengeance on the village. She left bodies of innocent people in her wake and Yaha Uta fought to defeat her but being without a pack, he was defeated." Sam told them.

"In the end, it was only our elder chief, Taha Aki, that remained as a spirit warrior to protect the tribe. In a rage over his fallen son and to defend his people, Taha Aki lunged toward the Cold Woman, transforming into his great wolf before clashing with the beast. His love, the mother of his fallen son and his third wife, watched with horror as the Cold Woman fought her husband, a wolf who was worn and grey. Taha Aki's Third Wife could see that he would lose and knew that once he fell the rest of the village would too. So, without thought for herself, she grabbed a knife from a young nearby warrior and ran towards the Cold Woman who barely regarded her. After all, she had nothing to fear from a knife or a human." Sam explained.

"Now, the Third Wife was no magical being and she had no special powers, but she did have something crucial- Courage. The Third Wife charged the cold one, her dagger raised high but once she was near, she dropped to her knees in front of the vampire and plunged the knife into her own heart! Thick blood flowed from her wound, the scent hungering the vampire. It was the Third Wife's sacrifice that distracted the Cold Woman long enough for Taha Aki to destroy her. She saved the tribe."

As Sam's hands lowered back to his sides after his action-filled tale, it was as if a spell that had fallen over the room began to slowly dissipate.

"So, as you know, the Cold Ones remain a threat to this day and as long as they are near, our magic will awaken," Sam said, looking to the hunters. "And to tell you the truth, that nearness is something that we sense _now._ We feel that threat in our blood. Something terrible is coming and our pack is going to be ready for it. We have to be."

At that, Keegan looked to her partner to find that Rowan was already looking at her.

She knew he was thinking about the rise in deaths in Seattle the same as she was.

"Since we are telling truths, I think that we need to tell you about our trip to Seattle," Rowan said after a moment of silence, pulling his eyes from Keegan to look to the Alpha. "As it seems we are on the same side of this and all, I feel it's appropriate." He added, a wry smile on his lips that had Keegan resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

Rowan had found what he was looking for in the wolves, it seemed. He was more than happy to be around a group of people that saw vampires as the enemy. Which was a sentiment that she typically shared, but there were always grey areas and the Cullens, and for the most part the Denalis, fell in that grey area.

"Have you been to the beach?" A deep voice asked from beside her, the sound sending sparks of awareness from her fingers to her toes that she nearly mistook for the way they tingled to alert her to the presence of a vampire.

Turning, her eyes met deep mahogany and she found Paul looking at her as he had when he was stood on the edge of the ravine, his name a whisper on her lips, though he had more hesitance in his posture now.

"I haven't." She admitted, feeling a hope blossom in her chest though she wasn't sure exactly what it is that she was hoping for.

"I could show you... if you'd want?" Paul offered, and though Keegan didn't doubt that he would show her to the beach, she caught on to the fact that whatever they might talk about along the way held more weight than what was usual for just a stroll to the shore.

She couldn't imagine what the enigma of a shifter would have to say to her, but she felt her heartbeat quicken in her chest. More than likely, it was going to be whatever had upset Edward, she was sure of it.

The wolves had been fairly tight-lipped about that exchange, and though Sam's story-telling had given her a glimpse into the pack's past that she appreciated, it didn't answer nearly enough of her questions to satisfy her.

Keegan knew that the walk wouldn't be too far if she went with him as she had smelt the sea when stood in the trees along the edge of the clearing, but as she caught on to the fact that more than one member of his pack seemed to be trying a little too hard to seem like they were not listening to their conversation, she hesitated in accepting.

What were the wolves being so secretive about? Why would he want to tell just her? Why Paul and not Sam? Was this what was not Sam's to share? If so, why was it Paul's?

Instinctually, she sought out where Rowan was stood across the room, seeming to be in deep conversation with Sam and Jared, but warm fingers pressed lightly against the side of her chin and brought her gaze back to Paul's.

Oddly, she didn't feel the need to swat his hand away in response as she would have if anyone else that she just met dared touch her so casually.

Instead, she found herself suppressing a sigh as his fingers lingered on her skin, brushing along the edge of her jaw before he returned his hand to his side.

"It's _your_ decision," Paul said firmly.

This definitely had to do with more than seeing the beach.

Keegan's curiosity drove her to stop overthinking the situation and instead nod her head.

"I could use some fresh air." She relented.

At her decision, Paul graced her with the first smile that she had seen appear on his face since the moment she had laid eyes on him.

Unlike his pack brothers who were rather rambunctious and constantly cracking up, Keegan had only seen Paul with expressions that didn't exactly scream happy light-heartedness.

And that was honestly a shame.

As he looked at her now, his straight teeth on full display as his cheeks creased with smile lines, Keegan felt her breath catch in her throat. Something about the untarnished happiness that seemed to ignite behind his eyes had her heart skipping a beat, the entire world taking a moment's pause so that she was able to fully appreciate the sight in front of her.

The wolf, seemingly eager for them to be on their way, took a step towards the door and like a moth to a flame, Keegan followed.

"What are you doing?"

The pull that she had felt was broken by the sound of Rowan's voice, her partner having sensed her leaving.

Blinking as if she had just been awoken from a deep sleep, Keegan took a second to gather her wits before gesturing towards the door.

"We were going to go see the beach." She told her friend whose topaz eyes narrowed slightly in response.

She could practically hear his thoughts racing as to why she would have the urge to go off alone with one of the supernatural creatures they had just met, and if she was honest, Keegan couldn't explain it herself. She didn't know how she could expect Rowan to understand something that she herself didn't.

However, after cutting his intense look over to Paul, Rowan seemed to make a decision as he headed their way.

"Alright then, let's go," Rowan said simply, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword in a way that could be considered casual or a threat depending on just how well you knew him.

"I don't remember inviting you," Paul said from behind her, his tone biting but that didn't perturb Rowan one bit.

"I don't remember needing your invitation." He replied with a smile that was too sharp to be considered friendly or agreeable.

"Rowan, it's alright. It's not as if I couldn't shove his own arm down his throat if he pisses me off." Keegan told her partner, ignore the soft snort of derision from behind her.

She would let wolf boy think he was tough if he wanted to. Sure, his arms were the size of her torso, but she'd kick his ass like anyone else. Intriguing shifter or not.

"They can kill vampires, Key." Rowan reminded her.

"Sure, but apparently it takes like 4 of them to do it." Keegan countered, causing the room to erupt in protests.

"You two sure do talk a big game for someone whose big show was jumping across a creek bed," Jared called from one side of the room.

It seemed that the idea of heading towards the beach was momentarily forgotten as hunters exchanged a glance before Keegan was raising a brow at Jared.

If they had cared to look, they would have seen the daggers that Paul was glaring at his packmate over that fact.

"That a challenge, Fido?" Keegan asked, causing the man to hesitate as he seemed unsure about how he was supposed to proceed now that she had called him out in return.

"I could go for a good ole fashion spar, though I have to say, we've never fought anything with fur before," Rowan said, a smirk pulling at his lips.

"Well, there was that bloke in that Italian club, Ro. Don't forget about him, he was rather furry." Keegan reminded her partner, chuckling as he did at the memory of the handsy bloke who, by pure chance, turned out to be selling warehouse space to a vamp that was fighting newborns.

"I can't fight you..." Jared said, his words trailing off awkwardly and Keegan did roll her eyes at that.

"I'm not a human girl, mate. You're not going to hurt me. Just don't tear off any limbs and we'll be right as rain." She reasoned, turning to look at Paul when a low rumble sounded from behind her.

She took in his displeased expression, all traces of the breathtaking smile he wore only moments ago gone, and the return of the slight trembling of his hands, and reached out to wrap her lithe fingers around his wrist before she could think too deeply about what exactly drove the action.

Like a charm, his brow smoothed out and he was looking at her with something akin to awe and agony all at once.

"He can't fight with you, Keegan. None of us will." Sam told her and annoyance rose quickly within her.

"Fine, tuck tail," She scoffed.

"They're smart to be wary." Rowan chimed in, eyeing the pack around them. "They hurt you and they know that they would bring down the wrath of your Cullens, but they also don't know what kind of force comes with our kind."

"Oh so _now_ you're old and wise?" Keegan said, shaking her head before pushing on her friend's shoulder.

"I've always been wise- cool it on the old thing though, love," Rowan told her.

"Now I really could use some fresh air." She announced, still annoyed since she was nearly positive the wolves were brushing off her friendly challenge because they saw her as a delicate female that could get hurt.

Ridiculous.

Rowan looked out one of the many large windows that lined the front of the house in response to her declaration before turning back to look down at her.

"It's getting late anyway. We should get back to Cullen turf before our clock runs out here." He told her, not bothering to keep his words quiet and it seemed that at least Paul had taken some offense to them.

"We wouldn't hurt you, she's safe here." He growled, his tone a harsh contrast with his kind words.

"There's no clock. You both are welcome on our land. As you said before, we have a common enemy and you helped us with the information about newborns potentially being in the area." Sam interjected.

"Thank you for that and we are glad to be of some help but... Ro's right. We should get going... for now." Keegan said, feeling a sharp pain in her chest as she did so.

Unconsciously, her hand rose to the spot that ached and she noticed Paul taking a step closer, one hand beginning to rise towards her before he seemed to think better of it and dropped it back down to his side.

His fingers flexed, moving as if to just give them something to do.

"You'll come back?" He asked and immediately Keegan nodded, an action that seemed to ease some of the ache away.

"We'll be around. We have to take care of this newborn problem before it becomes any worse and the Council catches wind." Rowan said, stepping up until he was practically pressed against Keegan's back, eyeing Paul critically over her head.

"The Council?" Sam asked but Rowan simply smirked in lieu of an answer.

"If you got a secret to trade, Alpha, then get it ready for the next time we're around," Rowan told him, obviously not willing to spill any more information about the world of hunters just yet.

"The newborns... you guys plan to go after them alone?" Seth asked from where he was still sat at the table, his eyes having had followed the conversation like it was a tennis match.

"That's our job, kid," Keegan told him simply, unconcerned.

"That's too dangerous. You're only two people." Paul said, but Rowan cut over him, obviously at his patience's end with the pushy shifter that seemed to have no boundaries when it came to personal space or understanding how long is too long to stare at someone.

"Two is enough for most jobs which is why we hunt in pairs. Genetically, and with the help of whatever supernatural magic, we're pretty cut out for this hunting gig as it turns out. If we needed backup, we'd call backup, but we don't. We're leaving." Rowan snapped, surprising even Keegan with his abrupt harshness.

Without a word, she turned to gently pat Rowan's chest, looking to soothe him but also knowing that if irritated, he wouldn't lighten up until they were leaving the situation.

"Alright, let's go." She agreed, moving to gently push him along to the door as she looked back at Sam.

"Thanks for having us, Sam, Emily. I'll talk to the Cullens about being in touch, maybe come around the boundary to talk if one of you are around." She rambled as they headed for the door.

Pushing Rowan out of it, though he didn't need much pressing, Keegan paused instead of immediately following. Her eyes found Paul as if drawn there by a magnetic force.

The frown on his lips and the unhappiness behind his eyes had the ache returning to her chest once more, watching as his hand raised to touch the spot that she had earlier on her own.

The action startled her and her brows furrowed as she looked at him.

Keegan felt like she was leaving with so many important questions yet to be answered.

"You still owe me a walk on the beach, wolf boy." She told him, pleased with herself once the corners of his lips drew up slightly.

"I wouldn't miss it," Paul replied and with one last smile tossed over her shoulder, Keegan pushed out the screen door and hopped off the porch to run into the quickly darkening woods.

"Something is not being said," Rowan told her once they were far enough away from the house and were nearing the boundary line that would begin the Cullen's land.

"Then we'll just have to figure it out or find a way to get them to tell us," Keegan reasoned, jumping over the ravine that had started it all.

The hunters stopped once they were on the Cullen's land, looking at one another under the moonlit trees.

There was silence between them as they considered one another.

Keegan thought about Rowan's fondness of the pack's basic ideals, his willingness to share some things with them but not others, his urgency for an abrupt departure.

Rowan thought about how Keegan's eyes had seemed to drift back to that shifter throughout the evening, the way the shifters glanced at one another anytime she spoke or how their eyes widened and looked at Paul anytime he had touched his partner as if expecting him to react.

With so many thoughts running through their heads, for once without being aligned, the pair felt a step off beat.

Holding out her hand to her partner, Keegan was relieved when he threaded his fingers through hers.

"Let's walk the rest of the way. I've missed just having you to myself." She told him, eliciting a soft smile from the man that he saved for her and his sisters alone.

"I'm hard to not miss." He quipped back, laughing as he dodged her swatting hands.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning, Keegan awoke to a rather violent scene.

The sound of what turned out to be Edward's body slamming against the wall startled her upright, her hands grasping for the dagger that sat on her bedside table until her brain had finally caught up with her instincts and she paused, dark hair falling messily in her face, to take in the sight of Rowan pinning Edward to the wall.

"Good morning." Edward greeted, seeming unconcerned about the angry vampire hunter in his face and the knife against his throat.

"Good m- wait no, what the fuck? Rowan, let Edward go! Have you completely lost it?" She yelled, untangling herself from the covers just before Rowan willingly took a step back from Edward though his narrowed eyes stayed trained on him.

"He barged in here while we were asleep. I think my reaction was warranted." Rowan explained in a low growl, still poised to pounce on the vampire should he move too suddenly for his liking.

"For fuck's sake, Ro, it is _his_ house you know." Keegan groaned, flopping back down on the bed, a healthy mixture of exhaustion and exasperation causing her to do so rather dramatically.

"No, he's right. I should have made more of a show about announcing myself. I had forgotten that he keeps finding his way in here to sleep and wouldn't appreciate my presence so early in the morning." Edward said, not quite apologizing but it seemed to be enough of one that Rowan at least hid his knife away once more.

"What could you _possibly_ want this early in the morning anyway, fangs? I know your lot doesn't sleep, but we definitely do." Rowan grumbled as he sat down on the end of the bed, his freshly-awaken state finally showing now that the perceived threat had passed.

Keegan couldn't help but smirk at the sight of his droopy eyes and sleep-mussed hair.

What an intimidating picture of a hunter he painted right then.

"I was actually needing a favor," Edward explained.

"Ahh, so that's why you didn't rip Rowan's arm off and hurt his sensitive ego," Keegan said knowingly, not even bothering to dodge the pillow that Rowan slung at her in retaliation.

She deserved that one.

Edward smiled slightly at her comment but didn't acknowledge it otherwise. It seemed that he really wanted to be on both of their good sides for whatever his favor was.

"We need to go hunt." He began, ignoring the way that Rowan's face contorted in disgust. The knowledge that they feed solely on animals did not do anything to quell the hunter's dislike of the mere thought of vampires feeding. "And Bella will be left unattended in town. She will just be going to work this weekend but I would appreciate it if-"

"If we could watch out for her? Sure, Eddie. That falls right within our job description after all." Keegan accepted without hesitation but her partner, of course, took his time considering the request.

"Does she know that we're going to be watching out for her?" He asked and when Edward hesitated, Keegan sighed.

"So we're not just going to be hanging out with her, we're going to be following her... out of sight... without her consent." She stated dryly.

"If she knew that you were both out guarding her then she would be uncomfortable. She already doesn't like that you both, or any of us, are going against Victoria for her. It's better this way." Edward reasoned and though Keegan wasn't convinced that being as secretive as they were was for the best, it was frankly not her relationship, and therefore, the semantics were none of her business.

"Fine, but it's your ass," Keegan told him, pointing a finger his way and narrowing her eyes at him until he nodded.

"I'm in, but not for your blood-sucking ass. She is an innocent human who is being hunted by a bat, it's just my job." Rowan said, agreeing as well.

With that settled, Edward excused himself and Keegan let out a long sigh before forcing herself completely up and off the bed to get ready for the day ahead of them.

* * *

"Can she eat any slower?" Rowan groaned, his third complaint in the last half an hour as the hunter pair sat up in a tree only a few yards from the Swan house.

Yes, Keegan was well aware of how creepy it was. Necessary according to Edward, but creepy nonetheless.

"I will push you out of this tree, Ro. Don't test me." Keegan hissed in return, also more than bored with their security detail, but definitely quieter about it.

The only thing that put an end to their squabble was the sound of the front door.

Bella Swan was finally on the move.

"Oh thank God," Rowan said, hopping down onto the forest floor only seconds before Keegan.

The pair made their way to the car that Edward had rented them in advance, the simple Jeep Cherokee leagues more discreet than any of the Cullens' personal vehicles.

Arriving at Bella's work, Rowan parked the Jeep across the street and rolled down their windows.

If a vamp came within a mile of the place, they should feel, hear, or see it before it got anywhere near entering the outdoor store that the girl apparently worked at.

Kicking her feet up on the dash, Keegan went to make herself comfortable as they settled in for the long wait while the human worked her shift, but the sound of the door of the store opening had her leaning forward around her partner to see Bella coming out of the store way sooner than they were told she would be.

In her hands, she held a stack of papers and Keegan wasn't too concerned until the girl took off running towards her truck like the devil himself was on her heels and tore out of the parking lot seconds later.

Without any discussion, Rowan peeled out on the road after her just as Keegan's phone began to ring.

"What's she doing?" Keegan asked in lieu of a greeting once she pressed to answer the call.

"Her future disappeared," Alice informed her, eliciting a loud laugh from Rowan.

"I'm assuming you both remember what that means." She continued dryly.

"I'm not going to drag her back to Forks kicking and screaming, Alice. That's not what I signed up for, but we'll keep her safe over there too. Sam invited us to La Push whenever we please." Keegan reassured her friend, ignoring her still chuckling partner.

"That's all I ask. Edward... he's going to be less than pleased though." Alice sighed.

"He's not her keeper. Tell him to eat a few bunny rabbits and chill the fuck out. Ta-ta." Rowan said shortly before reaching over and snatching the phone to end the call.

"Rude," Keegan stated simply and her partner shrugged his broad shoulders.

"Could've been ruder." He countered and she rolled her eyes.

Rolling past the sign for La Push, Keegan knew that they had passed the boundary line that separated the pack's territory from the Cullen's about a mile back but still Bella was heading deeper into the territory with absolute purpose.

It was only when they were pulling down a driveway a few moments after Bella had done the same that Keegan realized whose home they were at thanks to the scent heaviest in the air.

"-following me since I left my work and I'm not sure who it is, but-" Keegan caught the tail end of Bella's rambling to her shifter friend as both she and Rowan climbed out of their Jeep.

"Long time, no see, mate," Rowan called out to Jacob as they approached, watching as Bella's face cycled through various emotions that began with recognition and ended with absolute exasperation. Somewhere in between, Keegan had been sure she caught a glimpse of fury.

It was nice to see that the human girl had it in her.

"Did Edward tell you guys to follow me?" Bella asked them and Keegan gave the girl her best apologetic smile.

"Kind of, he just didn't want you to worry about it." She explained, watching as both Jacob and Rowan rolled their eyes.

"I can't believe he- I'm sorry you guys had to come all the way out here." Bella began to rant, but cut herself off to apologize instead.

"Don't sweat it, love. I'd rather be here than there, trust me." Rowan reassured the girl, kinder to her than he was to most of the people that they had been around of late- for fairly obvious reasons.

Like with Emily, Rowan respected humans and human women especially.

Hunters were a protective species in general when it came to those they considered to be under their care, but they were especially protective of the humans that they were born and raised to defend from the creatures that so easily made them their midnight snacks.

"You don't have to stick around here and babysit me now. I'm safe with Jacob and the pack-" Bella began but Keegan cut her off with a shake of her head.

"I told Alice that we'd still watch out for you here, Bella. I'm sorry, but I don't want to go back on my word." She explained, watching the girl scrunch up her nose in apparent dislike of her words before seeming to resign herself to their company.

"Bella!" A voice called from the house, pulling their attention away from one another, and Keegan looked to see an older human man sitting in a wheelchair in the doorway.

"Hey, Billy!" Bella greeted with a bright smile, the sight of the older man seeming to do wonders for her mood.

"It's good to see you around here again... and you brought friends?" He questioned, his brow furrowing as he took in the sight of the two leather-clad hunters standing in his front yard.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. This is Keegan and Rowan, they're friends of Edward's and are visiting Washington." She explained and Keegan watched the man's demeanor immediately change as he regarded them.

"Oh, are these the two that you were telling me about, Jake?" He asked and Jacob nodded.

"All good things, I hope," Keegan said, trying to keep her tone light as the conversation was a bit awkward with Bella eyeing Jacob curiously.

Keegan could see she was dying to be a part of the loop and apparently where Edward would keep her in the dark, she relied on her shifter friend to give up the details.

"Your people sound similar to ours in a lot of ways. I would love to hear a few stories from the two of you some time." Billy said, his voice kind and that had Keegan giving the man a genuine smile in return.

"We're not sure how much longer we will be around, but if we get the chance, we'd be happy to," Rowan told him before turning towards Jacob and Bella with an expectant look, urging them to figure out what they were going to do while Bella was on the run that day.

Since he had turned, Rowan had missed the look that Billy gave Jacob after his words, but Keegan didn't. The glance was concerned and questioning and Keegan couldn't place why it would be.

Finally, Jacob suggested taking a walk down to the beach, pulling her out of her pondering.

When Bella agreed, Keegan and Rowan made it clear that they really didn't care one way or another. They weren't exactly there to enjoy themselves.

As they walked, the two friends talked about random things and slowly but surely, Keegan and Rowan tried to lag further and further behind. They didn't need to encroach on the friends' conversation to watch out for Bella, even if Keegan felt that Edward might have preferred her to do so when she heard Jacob's complaints about the man.

"So much bloody drama," Rowan muttered and Keegan had to agree.

Three species living in such close quarters with such close ties apparently made for a lot of unease and arguments. Not to mention it seemed like Bella just had a penchant for trouble.

"It'll all work itself out in time." Keegan reasoned, reaching out to give her partner's arm a gentle squeeze of comfort. The two weren't used to being around so many people for this long of a time period. They were roamers, popping in and out of people's lives for jobs then heading off to the next. Hell, that was even their relationship with their families at this point.

Hunter holidays were few and far between. Keegan saw both her parents and siblings all at once maybe once a year, if that.

As the sand shifted under her boots, she kept a close eye on the shifter and human a few paces in front of them.

Bella and Jacob were bickering, about the girl's relationship of course, but as long as he continued to wear his human skin, Keegan wouldn't throw him into the ocean.

She had gathered the linkage between the pack members' shift and their temper from watching Paul's obvious struggle with it. Not to mention that the sight of Emily's scars, obviously done by a shifter's claws, had her running through the possibilities of just how they were received and why they saddened Sam as they did.

When the pair finally took a seat on a large piece of driftwood, Keegan heard the thundering sound of paws running over the soft forest floor coming from the trees.

She and Rowan both tensed while Jacob shot a lazy glance over his shoulder, smirking when a silver muzzle emerged from the shadows of the treeline.

"Wondered how long it would take you to show up around here," Jake said, his tone teasing and the great wolf simply huffed before turning his gaze towards Keegan, his mahogany eyes fixating on her and filling her with a warmth that went down to her soul.

"Who is that?" Keegan heard Bella whisper to Jacob, but Keegan had no such uncertainty.

"Hey, wolf boy," She greeted with a smirk, immediately recognizing the eyes' owner.

The wolf made a noise that could have been a laugh before he turned, disappearing back into the woods with barely a sound for a creature so large.

"Jacob must have told him we were here," Rowan stated and Keegan nodded in agreement.

"Maybe they wanted the numbers even?" She suggested but he didn't look convinced, more critical and annoyed than anything else.

A few moments later, Paul was emerging from the forest as his human self, his bare chest on display for her viewing pleasure as he had only bothered to put on a pair of dark shorts.

The wolves' forms harkened to the animals that they contained within them. They were well-muscled, leaner than they were bulky, and they moved with a grace that you wouldn't expect when first glancing at them.

As Paul passed Jacob and Bella, his goal obviously being to approach the hunters, Keegan didn't miss the annoyed look that he shot them before focusing on her once more, not even seeming to notice Rowan stood next to her.

"You found your way to the beach without me," Paul said once he was close enough to not have to raise his voice to be heard over the waves.

"Strangely enough, it wasn't exactly hidden," Keegan replied, her tone light rather than critical as she couldn't help but smile at the shifter.

The wolf came rather close to the pair, stopping less than an arm's length away from Keegan and he seemed to take a moment to look her over, scanning her from head to toe as if inspecting her for anything out of place.

"You decided to give the Rez another try then?" He asked, now finally including Rowan in the conversation as he briefly glanced his way before returning his eyes back to Keegan's.

"Well, it wasn't on our original schedule, but Bella decided otherwise," Rowan explained, seemingly confusing Paul more with his explanation so Keegan stepped in to clarify.

"We were watching out for her today while the Cullens are out of town." She told him, the way his nostrils flared out in response to her words letting her knew that he obviously had caught on to the fact that the vampire family was not simply out on a weekend vacation. "Edward asked us to look out for Bella so we were... then she decided to detour here."

"Better for you then, now you get to see us," Paul said with a smirk, his self-assuredness something that Keegan would usually write off as douchey and self-involved, but with him, it just seemed playful and genuine.

"Goodie," Rowan stated drily, pulling a laugh out of Keegan as she shook her head at him.

"Play nice, we're on their turf until she decides to face Edward." Keegan reminded Rowan who shrugged, looking at Paul now with a challenging glint behind his eye.

"Paul knew I was just taking the mick, didn't you, mate? Besides, we've got nothing to fear while on their territory. That's what the Alpha said. Isn't that right?" Rowan asked Paul, who was looking right back at him with a bit of irritation clear on his face.

It seemed that Paul wasn't the type to hide away how he was thinking or feeling, or perhaps he just didn't know how, but either way, Keegan saw that trait as very refreshing.

There would be no guessing games when it came to the hot-headed shifter.

"You're safe here. The pack wouldn't hurt her... or you." Paul snapped at the male hunter, looking to Keegan after doing so and she was amazed by the way his eyes and features seemed to immediately lose their sharp edge.

"We wouldn't hurt you. Ever." He told her, saying the words with an urgency that she rose to the occasion of.

"For some reason, I believe that." Keegan quickly reassured him, not enjoying the concern and unease that had been behind his gaze as he tried to assure her about their safety.

She didn't want to see anything but joy on his face, the light of that emotion brightening his features and revealing his full beautiful smile. Anything else was a thought that had her stomach churning uncomfortably.

"So, you're on babysitting duty then?" Paul asked, seemingly doing a complete 180 from the serious tone he had mere seconds before.

"Uh, yeah, I suppose so. I told Alice that we would still look out for her here since Sam said we could come around whenever." Keegan explained.

"You can. Anytime." Paul confirmed with a nod and a smile that Keegan unconsciously returned. "Sam's house is pretty much the pack's house at this point so if you ever need to or just want to then you go there and they'll find me."

"Why would they need to find _you_?" Rowan cut in, his question simple, but Keegan recognized the look behind his eyes. It was the look that he got when he was on a hot line of interrogation and felt like he was only another poke or prod away from getting the truth that he wanted.

Paul hesitated, again wearing that hesitance clear on his face before he shook his head and shrugged heavy shoulders.

"It's one of those wolf things again, man." He offered but it seemed Rowan wasn't willing to leave it at that this time.

"Fuck your _'wolf things-'_ " He spat before Keegan reached out to him, one hand wrapping around his wrist and gently tugging him a step back from Paul.

"Rowan, we agreed the other night that there were still things left to discuss between us and the pack. I know it's frustrating, but they don't know everything about us either." She reasoned, her quiet words just for him though they both knew that the shifter standing only a few steps away could clearly hear them.

"Then we need to get around to discussing them, Key. They're hiding something from us specifically- something big." Rowan hissed, throwing a flinty glare towards Paul, obviously not caring that they were talking about the pack as if they weren't in front of one of the members.

"I know. I see it too," Keegan agreed.

It was her straight-forward acceptance of Rowan's paranoia that calmed the hunter, though the edge behind his gaze when he looked at Paul once more was still there.

"We need to call another meeting with your Alpha, _Fido_. As long as we're going to be around here, and I pray that time will not be much longer, we need to clear the air. You are all hiding something. Something big, and my gut is telling me that it involves Keegan." Rowan stated, his claim causing the woman in question to snap her head towards him with obvious shock and confusion.

Rowan took another step forward instead of addressing Keegan's confusion, not having an ounce of hesitation about getting into a large volatile shifter's space as he did so.

"I am telling you now, _mate_. Whatever it is, whatever secret wolf magic bullshite you think you're going to pull off, hunter magic is stronger. You try something against her and I'll wipe this pack clear off the map before you can even sprout fur." He hissed.

Paul was trembling now. His hands were shaking and his lips were pulled back in a slight snarl even as he held his ground against the hunter's threats.

"How many times do I have to tell you that none of us are going to hurt her?" Paul asked and Rowan scoffed in return.

"I recognize a loophole in a contract of protection when I see it, wolf. You don't have to hurt her to be against her best interests." Rowan countered and that was enough for Keegan.

" _She_ is standing right here and _she_ thinks you've both completely lost the plot if you think that you're going to have a pissing contest about me for reasons that are neither obvious nor valid." Keegan snapped, pushing between the two men and giving them both a healthy shove.

Her hand tingled once it had come into contact with Paul's warm bare chest, the sensation similar to that she felt when vampires were near but less painful and far more... pleasurable. The intense odd feeling caused her to pause in her tirade to examine the palm of her hand.

"What did he do?" Rowan asked, pressing himself close against her side and taking her hand in his, also looking closely at her palm with concern before Keegan shook him off.

"Nothing, the wolves are just weirdly hot." She excused and caught Paul's stance relaxing a bit out of the corner of her eye.

It seemed that he had been concerned about her weird reaction as well, but the smirk that sprouted on his lips took away any perceived sweetness.

Rolling her eyes, Keegan amended her statement.

" _Warm_ , the wolves are weirdly warm to the touch."

"Elevated body temperature- wolves run hot. It's good for us in the winters up here." Paul commented, and that shift back into the logistics of this new species they had come across seemed to shake the heaviest parts of the earlier tension from between them all.

"Must be nice," Keegan said wistfully.

"You feel the cold?" Paul asked her but it was Rowan who answered.

"We eat, we breathe, we sleep, we feel hot and cold- all more or less like humans," Rowan informed the shifter.

"Basically, we're just more sustainable and durable than humans. We can go longer without sleep, food, and water. I've been thrown from rooftops with no issue. The only time the cold or heat would get really bad for us, living wise, would be if we were stranded in the Artic or a desert." She explained further.

"You've been thrown from a rooftop?" Paul asked, seemingly pained by the mere thought. The look on his face was as if he had just been tossed off one as well.

"Rooftop _s._ " Rowan corrected, emphasizing the plural. "Our job is a dangerous one, mate, but we're built for it."

Keegan's partner now seemed bored with the conversation since they were the ones sharing details.

"Shouldn't we wait to tell your pack all this anyways? I'm not a fan of repeating meself." Rowan said.

"They'll know because I know," Paul replied and after catching both of the hunters' looks that clearly urged him to explain further, he did.

"The pack, we're linked. Like, mentally and shit. When we shift it's like all of our thoughts are tossed together. There are ways of trying to hide them, but in the end, there is really no point in trying. We're pack and they all get through anyway." He explained.

"Poor Leah," Keegan said immediately, not even wanting to imagine having to be in the minds of so many men all the time.

"She doesn't make it easy on us either," Paul grumbled in return.

"So your Alpha, he'll know we want to meet again then?" Rowan asked and Paul nodded.

"Once we both have shifted after this, the message will be passed along." He told them.

"Brilliant, that's honestly a rather eff- the human is crying." Rowan began to respond to Paul but quickly shifted gears, Keegan's mind racing to keep up with him as she sniffed out the emotion as well.

They both bee-lined around Paul to see that Bella was now standing and waving her hands about.

"Am I the only one who gets older?" She yelled, obviously distraught but Jacob remained seated.

Keegan realized that the conversation was one that was emotionally charged, sensitive for the human girl even, but the shifter didn't seem to be the threat nor the one really making her cry.

"Whoa, Ro. She's alright." Keegan said softly, grabbing her partner by the back of his leather jacket to stop him.

"She's-" he began but Keegan shook her head.

"A human girl who is having to wrap her head around all of her friends being supernatural creatures."

Rowan didn't look completely convinced, but he was also no longer rushing to toss Jacob into the sea and carry Bella out of pack territory.

"You lot are immortal then?" Rowan asked Paul, who had silently kept up with their small rush down the beach. The hunter was trying to distract himself from his overprotective instincts even as he kept one eye and ear on the human girl.

From how close Paul was now standing, Keegan would swear that she could feel the heat of his skin through the sleeve of her leather jacket.

Feeling oddly shy about the intimacy of that, Keegan glanced up to quickly meet Paul's eyes before forcing herself to tear them away and look towards the ocean. However, she wasn't quick enough to not catch the smile that blossomed on his lips as she did so.

"We kind of are, but it's more complicated than that." He told them.

"Same here." Rowan countered with a wave of his hand for Paul to explain first.

"We don't age until we are able to stop shifting for a long enough time." He said, rubbing a large hand over his close-cropped hair.

It was a movement that Keegan couldn't have ignored if she tried.

His hands were sturdy and work-worn, one being large enough to easily engulf both of hers in its grasp. As he rubbed his head, muscles flexed under tanned skin in a way that left no doubts in her mind that the wolves would be phenomenal opponents both shifted and not.

"Our aging is slowed way down, or rather, our timeline is just a hundred years or so longer than most," Keegan told him in return, watching as that revelation made his head cock to the side as he looked at her.

"So... you are not immortal either?" He asked for clarification.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner. Do I toss you a dog biscuit or?" Rowan asked, chuckling to himself even as Paul leveled him with a flat look.

" _Fine_ , you really can't appreciate a good ribbing." Rowan huffed. "Just as we eat and breathe, we eventually die and can be killed. We can be wounded as well. Many hunters have injuries that no human could bear- so far the pair of us have been lucky." Rowan told the wolf, seemingly content with just feeding Paul as much information as possible to have him pass on to his pack instead of addressing a whole room full of loud shifters with lots of questions.

"Just a few scars, all great stories." Keegan quipped, exchanging amused smiles with her partner before catching the pained look on Paul's face.

"Don't worry about it too much, Wolf Boy. I think we still have our looks, nonetheless." She joked, trying to lighten the mood but Paul's expression only grew that much more intense.

"You are absolutely _beautiful_." He told her, the words falling from his lips as if he needed to say them or he would explode.

Keegan felt heat immediately rise to her cheeks, shocking her entirely. For the life of her, she couldn't remember the last time she had blushed.

She was designed to be beautiful in the same way vampires were, so compliments regarding her looks had never had an effect on her before. It was like commenting on the existence of gravity... but from Paul... it was different.

It seemed that so much was when it came to Paul.

"I'm ready to head back now." Bella's voice called out from a few yards down the beach, and Keegan pulled her eyes from Paul to see that the human and her shifter friend were walking towards them now.

She turned to Rowan, about to comment on how Edward was going to react once they crossed the territory line, but found that her partner was looking at the two approaching them with realization and something close to fear behind his eyes.

Immediately, chills crawled up her spine in response to his distress.

"Rowan, what is it?" She hissed, her hazel eyes sweeping over the beach and treeline as she searched for whatever threat had spooked him.

"We're leaving." He said simply after another moment of too-long silence.

"What?"

"We're leaving. They've been _lying_ \- I heard him tell her." Rowan growled, the words breaking off into a near-feral snarl as Paul took a step forward as if to intervene in whatever realization Rowan was seemingly having.

"What is going on?" Bella asked as she and Jake came closer, the human obviously picking up on the tension that had formed once again.

"Keegan, we're going. Now!" Rowan snapped, the heat behind the command shocking her. But, she knew that her partner wouldn't be acting in such a way towards her without good reason, and to her, his fear was as clear as his protective anger.

"Watch it." Paul snarled, but the ringing sound of a blade being drawn stopped his approach.

"Whoa, dude. Take it easy." Jake called out, trying to diffuse the situation but the tension the shifter held made it clear to Keegan's trained eyes that he was ready to step in to defend his packmate.

"Stay away from us or I swear to your fucking wolf gods that I will slice you from head to head." Rowan threated, his hunter's blade in his hand and being wielded like an extension of himself.

Keegan was torn, and for the life of her she couldn't sort out why.

She should have been drawing her sword as well, immediately acting upon her partner's instincts and trusting him with her life as she had in the past, but seeing a blade held out towards Paul had her stomach rolling.

"Rowan-" She tried again but her partner simply took a step back, placing himself fully in front of her as if knowing that he would have to be the one willing to harm the shifters to defend the both of them. From what? She was unsure.

"You don't understand what's happening. You already agreed to let us explain what is going on." Keegan heard Paul say and though she couldn't see his face from around Rowan's broad frame, she could hear the distress in his voice and that shook her to her core.

"You guys, I think we all need to calm down. We can leave, okay? I'm ready to go." Bella said, doing her best to diffuse the situation though she obviously didn't understand what caused it either.

"I don't need to hear your explanation, wolf. I heard all that I needed from your packmate here. I'm not letting you put that on her." Rowan snapped.

"You should let her decide that," Paul growled in return.

"Oh," Bella said softly, obviously realizing something that Keegan still hadn't.

"Fuck you," was Rowan's simple retort to Paul.

Slowly, but surely, the hunters had been backing up step-by-step, Keegan moving in tandem with her partner.

She fought with every ounce of her being against the instinct that was telling her to stay in place. She trusted Rowan with her life, and she trusted that he knew the situation to be dangerous and that he would explain why that was once they were all safe once more.

It all felt like a giant cosmic test. So much so that she wondered if the Council had descended and somehow set their True Partner ceremony in motion.

"We're leaving," Keegan said finally, her teeth clenched against the pain that she felt shooting through her chest at the declaration, matching the low whine that sounded from Paul at that exact moment.

Ducking around Rowan's protective stance in front of her, Keegan looked first at Jake who was standing tense but with hands out as if trying to placate the situation, to Bella, who simply looked concerned and slightly distraught, then finally to Paul, who had pain behind his eyes that knocked the breath right out of her.

"Stop it." Rowan snarled at the shifter, sensing the pain in his partner. "You said you wouldn't hurt her."

Paul looked like he had been slapped by the man's words and he reached out as if to try to comfort Keegan before forcing himself to stop.

"I'm not trying to- I would never- I can't."

"We're leaving." Rowan cut through his jumbled words, sheathing his blade and wrapping a protective arm around Keegan, his topaz eyes fixating on Bella.

"Bella, let's go now. _Please_." He implored and the human nodded, shaking off Jake to join the hunters' side

Without another word, Rowan all but swept his partner off of her feet and away from the shifters on the beach.

With every step, Keegan felt a finality in their actions that had the sting of the pain she felt deepening.

She was not a weak woman.

She was a hunter. A vampire killer. A trained assassin of the supernatural.

But right then, she was thankful for having Rowan to guide her through whatever the hell was disabling her so badly that she felt stuck to where she had been standing. Trapped under the gorgeous pained gaze of the shifter that she felt a connection with that she couldn't begin to explain.

"Rowan, what's happening to me?" She asked as the man lifted her into the passenger seat of the Jeep, Bella running to climb into her old truck as well.

"You're okay, beloved. I've got you. I'll explain once we're safe." He soothed, his tone softer with her than it was with anyone else as he buckled her in before shutting her door.

She could hear his warning snarl as he crossed the front of the vehicle and followed his eyes to where Jake and Paul were standing near the house.

Not being able to stop herself, Keegan's eyes found Paul's and the pain in her chest morphed into a pull so powerful that she nearly leaned forward due to the sensation.

Her hand jumped to her chest, pressing hard as if that would make the feeling stop and she saw Paul do the same.

The Jeep roared to a start and then Rowan was reaching out to her, tucking her head firmly against his shoulder as he insisted that she keep her eyes closed and think only about the grove of trees behind their home in England.

Gravel shifted under their tires, Keegan could hear it, but it didn't drown out the mournful sound of a wolf's howl that followed their departure.


End file.
